Till Death Do Us Part
by KatRose
Summary: A case of wedded bliss interrupted hits close to home
1. Default Chapter

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (1/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 1  
  
QUEENS  
  
JUNE 3 - 10:13 PM  
  
Some days, staying in bed is the best option. This wasn't one of those days. It was much worse.  
  
"How am I to tell the kids about this?" he thought to himself. "How am I going to tell the kids that their mother was dead and it was my fault?"  
  
Detective Elliot Stabler sat huddled on the street curb holding his head trying to sort the thousand thoughts running through his head. He watched detachedly as the firefighters put out the smoldering mess that was his wife's clinic. The cops helped keep the lookie-loos at bay and sorted through the debris as they sought clues as to what happened and why. Elliot knew why. It was his fault.  
  
"Elliot?" a familiar voice said softly behind him. He ignored his partner in favor of self-flagellation.  
  
"Elliot?" Olivia said again. "You need to come with me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Elliot. It's not good for you to sit here watching this. Come on. Let me get you home. You need to be with your kids."  
  
"My kids," he said expressionlessly. "How am I going to tell them I killed their mother?"  
  
"Elliot, you didn't kill her. THEY did," she said.  
  
"If you say so. But if I hadn't gone after them, they wouldn't have gone after her. She'd still be alive. So that's my fault."  
  
Olivia prodded Elliot into an upright position and guided him to the sedan. He was lucid, but non-reactive. "It's never a good sign," she thought. "I wonder what's going on in his head."  
  
BROOKLYN - ALLEY  
  
APRIL 15 - 11:30 PM  
  
"Livia, whatcha got for me?" Elliot asked as he put on his latex gloves.  
  
"Not much," she replied. "Dead girl's about 18, maybe 19 years old. Definitely sexually assaulted, but no seminal fluid, so either the perp wore a condom or it wasn't human penetration."  
  
"Nice imagery, thanks."  
  
"No prob," she replied with a tight smile. Turning to the uniformed officer hovering over the scene, she asked, "Did you find anything with her? Clothes, purse?"  
  
"No, ma'am," Officer Jenson said. "Not even a ripped shirt or dress. It looked like she was just tossed out the door of a car."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Elliot asked.  
  
"The scratches on her shoulders and hips. No blood," he said pointing to the areas in question.  
  
"Good catch," Olivia said. "You bucking for detective?"  
  
"Taking the test in a couple of weeks," he said with pride.   
  
"Good for you. Anything else?" she asked.  
  
"I didn't want to touch anything until you guys got here, so no."  
  
"Thanks. Good luck on the test," Elliot said. He turned to the crime scene photographer and pointed out things on the ground that looked interesting. "Don't miss those there and there. Thanks."  
  
"ME's here, Elliot," Olivia stated. "She's ready to bag her. Do you want to look before they go?"  
  
"Nah, let her do her work. We'll see everything once Warner gets the body under lights and we can actually see."  
  
"Sounds good," she replied. "Thanks, guys, you can head out. We'll catch up later."  
  
ME'S OFFICE  
  
APRIL 16 - 8:30 AM  
  
"Got your message, doc. What's up?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Found a few things that might interest you," Warner said. "I found wood slivers in her vagina and tearing consistent with an unbendable object. She was probably raped by a broom handle or other wooden object. She was also beaten repeatedly around the breast and abdomen area. Probably the same object because the wood slivers match."  
  
Olivia and Elliot shared a look of disgust and waited for the doctor to continue.  
  
"She's got a tattoo. Looks to be of Slavic origin," Warner stated. "Here's a Polaroid of it. Hopefully it'll help ID her. She's probably in her late teens, early 20s. Obviously didn't have great dental insurance; her teeth and gums are not in good shape. Probably Eastern European and not been here in the country long. Stomach contents are high-end though."  
  
"How's that?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Well, she had steak tartare, Arugula, bleu cheese and butternut squash. Not your average meal at the local Denny's."  
  
"No, definitely not."  
  
"Thanks, doc," Elliot said as they walked out the door. "If you find anything else …"  
  
"I'll call," she said turning back to the body on the table.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM - 10:00 AM  
  
Cragen looked up as Elliot and Olivia walked into his office. "What's the news?"  
  
"Well," Elliot said, "it looks like she's Eastern European. Probably only been here a short time. Her last meal was definitely not run of the mill. Someone's paying her way."  
  
"Prostitute?"  
  
"Possible. But it just doesn't feel right."  
  
"Okay, then go find out more."  
  
Elliot and Olivia headed back to their desks and were pouring over paperwork and trying to find come up with some ideas about their victim when the phone rang.  
  
"Stabler," he said. "Yeah, we'll be right there."  
  
"What's up, Elliot?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Someone may have recognized our girl from the pictures we passed around earlier. We're going over to meet her now."  
  
"Great, let's go."  
  
OLIVIA'S CAR  
  
JUNE 3 - 10:45 PM  
  
"I wonder if we hadn't gone out to Alphabet City that day, if Kathy would be alive now," Elliot said as Olivia drove him home.  
  
"Elliott, you can't think that way. It's not your fault."  
  
"Isn't it? My work touched my family in the worst way possible. Whose fault is it, if not mine?"  
  
"We don't know yet what happened to Kathy. This could just be a random act of violence."  
  
"Yeah, right. Go ahead and dream, Livia. *I* know it's not random. This is payback for Heather Hatagov's death. Hatagov wants revenge and this is how he got it!" Elliot was adamant in his statements, knowing they were right.  
  
"That may be, Elliot," Olivia said, "but until we can prove it, with more than your gut feeling, there's nothing we can do. Right now, you need to get home, tell the kids and start to figure out what's next."  
  
"What's next is finding that bastard and making him pay for what he's done," growled Elliot.  
  
"That won't help matters. It'll only escalate into all-out war between the Russian mob and the NYPD. It might turn out to be a bombing related to abortion rights and not anything to do with the Hatagov death."  
  
"Sure," Elliot sighed. "Think that if you want. I know they're after me and I'll bet they're after you too."  
  
"Elliot, there's not much we can do right now. Let's just get you home and we'll let the bomb squad do their jobs. Once we know what they know, we can go forward."  
  
The car dropped into silence. Elliot sunk back into his thoughts, allowing them to drift back into the recent past. 


	2. Chapter 2

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (2/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
1305 NINTH AVENUE  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
APRIL 16 - 10:45 AM  
  
Elliot and Olivia entered a corner bakery and asked for the owner. A middle-aged Russian woman came forward and asked if she could help them.  
  
"Yes, I'm Detective Benson; this is my partner Detective Stabler. We understand you may have recognized a young woman's picture shown around the neighborhood." Handing over the flyer with the dead woman's face on it, Olivia asked, "Do you know her?"  
  
"Oh, she doesn't look so good here," Olga said.  
  
"I'm sorry, ma'am," Elliot said, "but she's dead."  
  
"Oh, dear. That's Lizette Dronin. Um, no, that's not her last name anymore." Olga stood pensively and thought for a moment. "Henry, what's Lizette's last name?" she called to the other worker.  
  
"Cullen. She married that banker a few months ago," came the answer.   
  
"Do you know where we might find her husband?" Olivia asked.  
  
"He's over at First American on Avenue B," Henry replied.  
  
"His name is Nate," Olga added. "I hope you get whoever did that to that nice girl."  
  
"Thanks, we're going to do our best," Olivia said as they walked out the door.  
  
FIRST AMERICAN BANK  
  
415 AVENUE B  
  
"We're looking for a Nate Cullen," Olivia said to the receptionist at the bank.  
  
"He's in a meeting, can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"We need to see him now; can you point us in the right direction?" Elliot asked.  
  
"I was told not to disturb him unless it was an emergency," she replied.  
  
"Miss," Olivia interjected, "we're with the police department. We need to see Mr. Cullen now."  
  
That got her attention. "Let me show you the way."  
  
The detectives followed the receptionist into the back of the bank. She knocked on the door and let herself in at the "yes?" inside.  
  
"Sir, there are two police officers here to see you."  
  
Olivia and Elliot entered the office to find a uniformed officer sitting in the guest chair taking what appeared to be notes. He looked up in surprise to see detectives entering the office.  
  
"Sir, ma'am," he said as he stood. Turning to Mr. Cullen he said, "As I said before, Nate, she's only been missing for two days, so we might have a chance of finding some clues. We'll call you as soon as we know anything."   
  
He started to leave the office when Elliot stopped him by asking, "Who's been missing?"  
  
"His wife, Liz. She disappeared a couple of days ago after lunch with a girlfriend. He filed a missing person's report and because I bank here, I told the boss I'd look into things."  
  
"Officer … Johnson, is it?" Olivia said. "We'll be handling this from now on."  
  
"But ma'am," he started, "I don't understand."  
  
"Mr. Cullen," Olivia said, ignoring the officer, "I'm afraid we have some bad news."  
  
"Bad news?" Nate asked with his emotions tightly controlled. "If you're here and telling Officer Johnson that you're handling the case, it doesn't sound like my wife's going to come home."   
  
"I'm sorry, sir, no she's not," Elliot answered. "I'm Detective Stabler, this is my partner Detective Benson. We're with the Special Victims Unit. Your wife's body was found yesterday evening. We're very sorry for your loss."  
  
Nate stumbled back into his chair, emotions wrenching his face, but surfacing briefly. "How," he cleared his throat and started again, "how did it happen?"  
  
"We're still looking into what happened, but it looks like she was raped and then killed," Olivia said as gently as possible. "We need to ask you some questions about her last known whereabouts and any plans she may have had since you last saw her."  
  
"Yes, of course," he said. "Please sit, I'll be right back." He fled the office, asking the receptionist to get the detectives some water or coffee while he was gone. Both were refused and they waited quietly for Nate to return.  
  
"Ma'am?" Officer Johnson started. "Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
"No, Officer. Thank you though. You're free to go back to your regular duties."  
  
"Yes, ma'am. Let Mr. Cullen know that I'm here if he needs anything."  
  
"Nice kid," Olivia said after he'd left.  
  
"Yeah, eager too," Elliot replied.  
  
A few minutes later, Nate returned. His face was flushed and his lips were white around the edges. Elliot knew the signs of a man who'd been physically sick because of worry and fear. Choosing to ignore the obvious and not add to Nate's discomfort, he started in with some questions.  
  
"When was the last time you saw your wife?"  
  
"Wednesday morning. We had breakfast together, I kissed her good-bye and went to work," Nate replied.  
  
"Do you know what she had planned for the day?"  
  
"She had a doctor's appointment and then was meeting a girlfriend for lunch."  
  
"Do you know the friend's name or the place they were meeting?"  
  
"Her name is Dede Rayner. She was our wedding coordinator and our matchmaker if you want to know the truth," Nate said with a wistful look on his face. "Lizette was so beautiful when I first met her, I fell head over heels. Dede helped make that happen. Then she helped plan the wedding."  
  
"Do you know where we can find her?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Probably at her office. She works over in Greenwich Village. Runs a wedding planning company out there. Here's the address and her phone number," he said writing the information down. "Do you know when I might be able to see Lizette?" he asked with a break in his voice.  
  
"You should be able to go down to the morgue this afternoon. Just give this number a call to make the arrangements," Olivia said, handing over a Victim's Service business card. "They'll be able to help you with any questions or counseling if you want it. Again, we're sorry for your loss."  
  
"Thank you," he said, sinking into his chair.  
  
AISLE BE THERE  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
"We'd like to see Miss Rayner," Elliot said to the receptionist.  
  
"She's with a client at the moment," he said only glancing at the couple in front of him, "but if you want to fill out this paperwork she'll be with you shortly."  
  
"Ah, Kevin," Elliot said reading the name plate on the desk, "we're not getting married, I'm already married. We're with the police."   
  
Kevin's head shot up from his magazine to get a closer look at them. "Oh, you look like a cute couple, I just figured …" Olivia held back a smirk, but laughed inside, knowing she could use this to torment Elliot later on.  
  
"That's alright, Kevin," Olivia said, "but we need to see Miss Rayner now."  
  
"Let me go back and tell her," he said getting up from his desk.  
  
A few minutes later Kevin returned to escort the partners to the executive office. "Miss Rayner," he said in way of introduction, "the police are here."  
  
"Thank you, Kevin," she said. Motioning to the detectives she said, "Please sit. Can Kevin get you anything to drink?"  
  
"No." "No, thank you," they answered in unison.  
  
Elliot took charge of the questioning. "Miss Rayner, we understand you knew Lizette Cullen."  
  
"Yes, she was one of my success stories."  
  
"How so?" he asked.  
  
"My matchmaking services, of course," she replied coolly, yet professionally.  
  
"We understand that you met for lunch on the day she disappeared. Can you tell us about her state of mind?" Elliot asked.  
  
"She was happy. She's a newlywed and thrilled with her life. We had lunch and then parted company."  
  
"Do you know where she was going after she left you?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I believe she was going to do some shopping. Something about a surprise for her husband. Don't know what exactly she meant, but she had a secretive look on her face."  
  
"What makes you say that?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Are you married, detective?" she asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then you should know what I'm talking about. That look a woman in love gets when she's about to surprise her husband or lover with something very special," she explained.  
  
"Any ideas what her surprise could be?" Olivia asked.  
  
"No. She didn't tell me and I didn't pry. A woman should have her secrets after all, even from her friends. Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Of course," Olivia replied.  
  
"What happened to her?"  
  
"She's dead."  
  
"When, when did that happen?" she asked.  
  
"She was found yesterday."  
  
"Do you know what happened yet?"  
  
"We're still investigating. That's why we'd like to talk to anyone that might have seen her or talked to her after she left you."  
  
"I wish I could help. But she didn't tell me where she was going. I'm sorry," she said with the threat of tears in her voice. "I really liked her."  
  
"If you think of anything, please give us a call," Elliot said handing over his business card.  
  
"I will," she replied. "I hope you catch whoever did this to her. She was a good woman. She'll be missed."  
  
The detectives walked out the office door and headed out of the building. Just before exiting, Olivia stopped at Kevin's desk and asked, "Kevin, do you have the name of the restaurant Dede and Lizette had lunch the other day?"  
  
"Yeah, lemme get it for you." He wrote down the name and address and handed the slip of paper over to Olivia. "I heard what happened. If there's anything I can do, just call me. I know people all over this area, maybe they can help too."  
  
"Help how?" Elliot asked, coming back to the desk.  
  
"Ya know, keeping our ears to the ground. My friends are all over the place."  
  
"Thanks," Olivia said, "but I think we got it. However," she added, "if you do hear something, give us a call."  
  
"Will do."  
  
Heading back to their car, Olivia turned to Elliot, "Do you think she knows something?"  
  
"I don't know, but it definitely doesn't feel right. Something's off," he replied.  
  
"Yeah, something." 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (3/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
APRIL 24  
  
"Hey, guys," Munch said as he strode into the room. "We got another one."  
  
"Where?" asked Olivia.  
  
"Soho. Similar M.O., but worse."  
  
"Worse?" Fin said. "How much worse?"  
  
"This vic's got definite signs of torture before she was killed. Torture in *addition* to the sexual assault."  
  
"Man, that sucks," Fin replied.  
  
"Yeah. Just got back the ME's report on Lizette," he replied holding up a file, "she was pregnant."  
  
"She was WHAT?" Olivia asked as she whipped around to look at Munch.  
  
"Yeah, about three months along. She took a lot of beating across the abdomen," he responded with anger in his voice. "Makes ya wonder if the perp knew she was pregnant and wanted to destroy the baby."  
  
"Ugh," she replied. "You guys going down to Soho or do you want Elliot and I to go?"  
  
"We'll take it. I need a break from this paperwork."  
  
"Okay, have fun," she said turning back to her desk. "Gimme that file before you go, I'd like to go over it while you're gone."  
  
"Sure, here ya go." With that Munch and Fin walked out the door and into the street.  
  
BEHIND KELLY'S DINER  
  
SULLIVAN BETWEEN PRINCE AND SPRING  
  
"Whaddya got?" Munch asked pulling on a pair of gloves.  
  
"Dead woman beaten pretty severely around the back and torso. Definitely was sexually assaulted," was the response from the coroner's assistant.  
  
"Any idea how long she's been dead?" Fin asked.  
  
"Looks to be about 12 to 15 hours. Body's still in rigor, so it's been a bit, but we'll know for sure when we get her back to the lab."  
  
"Thanks," Munch said. Turning to the uniformed officer standing nearby, he asked, "Did anyone ask the diner if they saw or heard anything?"  
  
"No, sir, not yet," was the reply.  
  
"Guess that means you and me, Fin," Munch said.  
  
Walking in the door, Munch made a beeline for the woman behind the counter. "Hi, beautiful," he said in way of greeting. "I'm hoping you can help me with something."  
  
"Sure, sugar, whaddya need? Coffee? Tea? Me?" she asked with a laugh.   
  
"He wishes," Fin said coming to Munch's side. "We're with the Special Victims Unit and need to ask a few questions."  
  
"Oh, and here I was getting hopeful," the waitress cracked. "What kinda questions?"  
  
"Did you see or hear anything unusual since last night?" Fin asked.  
  
"Unusual? Not that I can think of. Well, except for cutie here coming in my door," she said with a grin towards Munch.   
  
Munch returned the smile and took out his business card. "Here's my number if you do think of anything else, miss."  
  
"Dottie," she said. "My name's Dottie."  
  
"Thanks," he replied. "Gimme a call … if you remember anything."  
  
Dottie slid the business card into the front of her uniform and smiled as the two detectives walked out the door. "What a cutie," she thought. "Maybe I'll call him even if I don't remember anything."  
  
As the men walked back to their car, Fin chided Munch on his way with women, "I don't know what you think you got that makes 'em smile like that, but it's embarrassing."  
  
"Only because you don't have it and wouldn't know what to do with it if you did," Munch smirked as he got into the car. Fin's only response was a snort of derision.  
  
STABLER RESIDENCE, QUEENS  
  
JUNE 3 - 11:30 PM  
  
Elliot stirred as Olivia gently shook him back into wakefulness. "Wha'?" he said as he came back to the present.  
  
"We're home, Elliot," she said. "Do you want me to come inside with you?"  
  
Elliot sighed. "I should do this alone, ya know?"  
  
"Elliot, you've got four kids in there. Sure you don't want an extra set of arms when you break the news?"  
  
Elliot stared off into space looking at the house, but not really seeing it. He remembered the day he and Kathy bought the place all those years ago. He remembered the hopes and dreams they had for their future and their kids' futures. This was definitely not part of those dreams.  
  
"Elliot?" Olivia prodded.   
  
"I know. Yeah, if you don't really mind, I could use the support."  
  
"Of course I don't mind. I love your kids too."  
  
They got out of the car and walked with heavy hearts to the door. The only light on in the house was in the living room, presumably Maureen reading and waiting up for Kathy to get home.  
  
"Hi, Dad," she said when the door opened. "Oh, Olivia! Nice to see you." She got out of the chair and started across the room. As she got closer to her father and his partner, the tension was palpable. When she got in front of them, their faces came out of the shadows and she knew that something was terribly wrong.  
  
"Dad? What's wrong? Why's Olivia here? Where's Mom?" Maureen asked each question with more urgency than the one before. Her voice rose to almost a shrill level by the final one.  
  
"Maureen," Elliot said, pulling his oldest into a close embrace and walked them towards the couch. "Honey, there was an accident at Mom's work."  
  
"What do you mean 'accident'?" she asked, sitting down. "What kind of accident?"  
  
"There was an explosion …" he started.  
  
"An EXPLOSION!?" she cried, leaping to her feet. "An explosion!? What would have blown up at Mom's clinic?"  
  
"Maureen, you need to sit down and listen to me for a moment. Then we need to get the others and tell them too. Okay?"  
  
Maureen took a deep breath and sat back down next to her father. "Okay, go on," she said with feigned calm.  
  
"We don't know what happened. Only that something exploded at the clinic. Bomb squad's looking into what the cause could be. It could have been a gas leak or a radical pro-life activist or anything. We don't know anything just yet. Only that Mom was inside when it happened."  
  
"Are you sure?" she said with tears in her voice. "Could she maybe have gotten out before it happened and she's just wandering around with no memory or something?"  
  
"No, honey, it's not," he said gently. Tears accumulated in his eyes looking at his daughter and knowing the pain she was experiencing. "I wish it could be otherwise, but they know …" he took a breath to calm the tears in his voice, "they know she was inside."  
  
Maureen's feigned composure cracked. The tears flowed as she clung to her father. Olivia went to the kitchen to give them some privacy, before returning with a box of tissue and glasses of water. Both took them gratefully, just in time to hear the patter of feet coming down the stairs.  
  
"Dad?" Lizzie called as she came into the room. "I heard a noise …" Seeing her father and sister on the couch with tear stained eyes, she knew something was up. "Daddy?" she said in a little girl voice.  
  
"Come here, pumpkin," Elliot said, gathering his youngest daughter to his chest. Soon other feet were heard and the rest of the family came into the room.  
  
Kathleen rushed over to her father and sisters and started crying, even without knowing what was wrong. Dickie stood to the side looking like he wanted to join the family hug, but didn't want to appear less a man for it. Elliot saw Dickie standing there and opened his arms for his son. Dickie flew across the room and soon Elliot was buried under a pile of crying children.  
  
It took some time for the tears to stop and explanations to be heard. Elliot sat with a child on either side of him on the couch and Olivia sat on the coffee table with the other two. All six were in constant physical contact as the conversation ebbed and flowed, along with the tears. Olivia only got up to find another box of tissue. When she returned, she found the siblings all on the couch with their father.  
  
"Olivia," Kathleen said, patting a small space on the middle cushion, "you can sit here."  
  
Olivia looked at the family, wondering if her presence was doing help or harm and saw all five pairs of eyes look at her expectantly. She scooted her way onto the couch, ending up with Lizzie in her lap and Kathleen and Dickie crowded to her sides. It was a good feeling, and she felt a little guilty enjoying this feeling of belonging. She tamped those feelings back and just held the kids while the sobs subsided and they fell into an uneasy stupor.  
  
Time passed quickly and slowly as they sat on the couch. Bodies moved into comfortable positions to catch a few moments of sleep and respite from the horror of losing their mother. Elliot never let go of his children, not even when he stood to get feeling back into his legs.   
  
"Elliot," Olivia whispered. "Do you want anything?"  
  
"Yeah, for my wife and their mother to be alive," he replied in a weary voice.  
  
"I'm sorry I can't do anything about that, but do you want to lay down, call family, go to the bathroom, eat, anything?"  
  
"Oh, man, I forgot about my dad. I need to make that call. I should probably go over there. But I can't leave the kids." Elliot's voice broke, but the look on his face was resolute. He wasn't going to allow anything to happen to anyone else, not if he could help it. "Can you stay with the kids while I go cross town to Dad's?"  
  
"Of course. I'll be here as long as you need me."  
  
"Thanks. Let the kids know I'll be back soon."  
  
"I will. You take it easy and don't worry about us. We'll be fine."  
  
Elliot walked to the door, grabbing his jacket on the way. "I don't know what I'd do without you here, Livia. I don't know if we could have gotten through this," he said motioning to the kids in heaps on the couch, "without your strength. Thank you." He didn't allow her time to respond before closing the door quietly behind him.  
  
She stood in the center of the room listening to the car start up and drive away wondering about the feelings welling up inside her. Chalking it up to the overly emotional evening, she went into the kitchen to try and keep herself busy until Elliot returned or the kids woke up.  
  
Elliot drove away with trepidation and fear dogging his path. He called Cragen's cell phone. "Cragen."  
  
"Captain, Elliot."  
  
"How are you? How'd the kids take the news?" Cragen asked.  
  
"About as well as could be expected. Olivia's staying with them while I go talk to my father."  
  
"Let me know if there's anything we or I can do."  
  
"Thanks." Elliot turned from grieving husband to cop and asked, "Do you have any word yet on what caused the explosion? Does the bomb squad know anything more?"  
  
'They're still sifting through the rubble and searching for clues. They found another body. Fin and Munch contacted the clinic's director and found out who was working with Kathy. They're pretty such it's the receptionist, Sharon Dukins."  
  
"I liked Sharon. She always had an easy smile and ready to help the patients anyway she could. Has her family been contacted yet?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Fin and Munch already took care of that."  
  
"What did the bomb squad have to say?"  
  
"That it was probably a medium sized wad of C4 with a military blasting cap. The explosion was focused on the office areas in the back and left the patient rooms pretty much intact. The front windows blew out, but not much else damage to that front area."  
  
"Like they knew where Kathy worked and how best to kill her," Elliot stated.  
  
"Could be. Or it could just be that someone didn't want to hurt any passersby when they made whatever point they were going for."  
  
"Captain, you're not seriously trying to convince me that this wasn't a mob hit, are you?"  
  
"Elliot, until we know more, we can't assume anything. There could be a couple dozen explanations for what happened there tonight. We'll dig until we find the correct answer."  
  
"I want these bastards, Captain!" Elliot said emphatically. "They took my wife and my kids' mother away from us. They've gotta pay."   
  
"They will, Elliot. They will. Just give us time to do this right. Don't go off half-cocked and make an even bigger mess than we already have."  
  
"I hear you, sir. I'm at my dad's place. I'll talk to you later."  
  
"Get some rest when you're done there, Elliot. You'll need it for the coming days," Cragen counseled.  
  
"Thanks," Elliot said before disconnecting.  
  
Elliot got out of the car and walked up to the door, raising his hand to knock. 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (4/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
MEDICAL EXAMINER'S OFFICE  
  
APRIL 26  
  
Elliot knocked on the door just before he and Olivia walked in.  
  
"Hey, Warner, any news on our vic?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Yeah, sorry it took so long. We're kinda backed up in here lately," she answered.  
  
"Well, as long as you get to it sooner than later, I guess we can't bitch too much," Olivia said.  
  
"The victim was assaulted by something large and metallic. The waffle imprint on her skin looks like what you'd find on the handle of a policeman's flashlight. It would also account for the massive tearing of the vaginal wall. She was also stabbed with an ice pick. Industrial size by the depth," she stated with professional coolness. "I also told Munch that your first victim was pregnant, about three months along."  
  
"Yeah, Fin told us that the other day," Elliot said. "How'd that get missed the first time around?"  
  
"It wasn't missed. You just wanted results faster than I could finalize the autopsy. Not to mention the bruising and tearing in the abdominal cavity was so severe that the fetus had broken loose of the uterine wall and looked like just another mass of blood and tissue. Sorry guys," she said.  
  
"Anything else we need to know about either vic?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Not at the moment, I'm waiting for a few more test results to come back, but so far toxicology is negative for drugs or alcohol. Stomach contents show she had a hamburger and fries several hours before she died. Nothing too specific, sorry."  
  
"Keep us informed," Elliot said as he and Olivia walked out.  
  
Olivia pulled out her cell phone as they walked down the hall. "Huang, please," she said.  
  
"Huang here," came the response a moment later.  
  
"We got info on the second vic. You got time to go over the reports?" she asked.  
  
"Sure, I'll meet you at the precinct. Give me 20 minutes to wrap up what I'm doing here."  
  
"Thanks." Hanging up the phone she turned to Elliott, "I think we need his view on what's going on here."  
  
"Agreed."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
Olivia put the fast food bag on her desk and doled out the food between Elliot's space and her own. Grabbing a few extra fries from his stack and stuffing them in her mouth, she took a sip from her diet soda and reached for the autopsy report on Lizette Cullen. Elliot sat across from her and noticed his diminished pile of fries and her larger stack. Reach across to grab a few from her, he got slapped for the effort.   
  
"Nu-huh," she said, never looking up from the report. "Hands off. Mine."  
  
"Just because you picked up the food, doesn't mean you get to filch my share," he said, taking his drink from the cardboard tray.  
  
"Sure it does. Call it payment for the effort," she quipped back.  
  
"Kids, play nice," said Munch. "There's enough to go around," he said grabbing a few from Elliot's pile. "Thanks," he mumbled heading back to his desk.  
  
Fin sat looking at the antics of his co-workers wondering how he'd gotten hooked up with such lunatics. He whipped open the report he was looking at to avoid laughing out loud at them, that would only ruin his reputation as a hard-ass.  
  
Dr. George Huang strode into the room and headed directly for Elliot and Olivia's desks. "What do you have for me?"  
  
"A couple of dead women whose deaths may or may not be related," Olivia said, handing over the files. "I wanted to know what you thought."  
  
Huang sat down at an empty desk and started to read. Several minutes later he looked up while keeping a finger on a particular passage in the report. "The person who committed the first rape/murder was very angry. This could be a crime of passion and opportunity. I would guess the perpetrator to be male, mid to late 20s, socially competent in that he can interact with others without notice, but inept with women. This causes him to feel rejected, even if there is interest. He takes that rage out on the parts of a woman that make her female, the breasts and vagina took the brunt of his anger.  
  
"The second rape/murder is much more violent. If this is the same person, he's escalating and at a much faster rate than one would normally see in a serial killer."  
  
"How so?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Well, serial killers normally don't kill so close together unless they've been doing this a while. If the first victim were truly his first victim, we'd see at least months, if not a year, before the next victim. These two women are only ten days apart," Huang replied. "If this is the same man, he's probably killed before. I'd like to run his MO through VICAP to see if there are any other murders like these."  
  
Cragen heard the last comment and said, "Sounds like a good idea. Feel free to use my office if you need to."  
  
"No thanks, but I could use a copy of these reports. I have all the numbers I need back at my office."  
  
"I'll get you copies," Olivia said, taking the reports from Fin and Huang.  
  
"Thanks," Huang said.  
  
Two days later Huang dialed Cragen's number and waited for the line to connect. "Captain Cragen? Dr. Huang, here."  
  
"Hello, Doctor. Did you find anything?"  
  
"Unfortunately, yes. There are eleven cases in the five Boroughs that resemble the two you're working on spread out over the past five years. There's enough similarity to think they're related, but not enough to state as fact that they're all the victim of one killer."  
  
"Send the information over to us. I'll get Fin and Munch on the older cases and Benson and Stabler on the newer ones. Maybe they can dig up something useful," Cragen said.  
  
"I'll fax it over now."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
The bullpen was abuzz with the information Huang had faxed over. Eleven other cases similar to what they'd found over the past two weeks. Each woman beaten with a blunt object about the breasts and groin, raped with the same object and then left to die in an alley or garbage bin. Each woman was found within days of her murder, but no suspect had been targeted.  
  
Cragen spoke to the troops. "Fin, Munch, I want you to take the six earliest cases. Benson, Stabler, you take the other five. See what more you can find than what's in the reports."  
  
"Sure thing, Cap," Fin said. "Munch, I'll drive, you scare the pigeons."  
  
"That's only because they don't know I'm trying to avoid them. If they'd only fly the other direction they'd be fine," Munch responded with a laugh.  
  
Elliot and Olivia shared a laugh at their co-workers' shenanigans as they walked out the door with them.  
  
"You want me to drive?" Olivia asked.   
  
"Sure, first victim on our list lived in Upper East Side. We'll start there."  
  
Olivia turned the key and the engine started. She and Elliot shared some small talk about the cases, both current and older, thinking out loud about what the connection should be. There didn't appear to be any pattern to where these women lived or where they were killed.   
  
HOME OF JANA JONES  
  
8612 WEST END AVENUE  
  
Olivia knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer. When the door opened a few minutes later a stylish woman in her sixties said, "Hello. Can I help you?"  
  
"Yes, I'm Detective Benson and this is my partner Detective Stabler. We need to ask you a few questions about Jana Jones," she said, holding up her badge for inspection.  
  
"Jana is dead, what more could you want to know?" she asked.  
  
"If we can come inside …" Olivia urged.  
  
"Yes, of course, my apologies," came the response. "I'm still a little leery of anyone who I don't know, it's been hard without Jana around." She led them into the living room and sat on an antique armchair and urged them to the sofa.  
  
"We understand, ma'am," Elliot said as he sat. "We just wanted to get some clarification about some things in the report."  
  
"Then you've finally found the man who did this to my daughter?"  
  
"That's why we need to talk to you. There's been more killings and we think they may be tied to your daughter's case," Olivia said gently. "Can you remember when you last saw your daughter before her death?"   
  
"We had lunch with my son at Octavio's Restaurant on Columbus. Jana went shopping afterwards at Saks and I came home," Mrs. Jones said.  
  
"Did your son see her any time after that?" Olivia asked.  
  
"No, he went back to work at Fricker and Johnstone. He's a gemologist and had clients waiting for him that afternoon," she replied. "We never saw Jana again."  
  
"I'm sorry for your loss, Mrs. Jones. At the time did you see or hear anything that would have seemed strange?"  
  
"Like what, Ms. Benson?"  
  
"Like phone calls late in the night or packages arriving with no return addresses or people lurking around the home. Anything out of the ordinary," Olivia replied, ignoring the honorific Mrs. Jones bestowed upon her.  
  
"Not that I can think of. I did, however, keep all the cards and notes that came after the funeral. Would you like to see them?" Mrs. Jones asked.  
  
"That would be good, thank you. If you also have a list of her friends and coworkers, that would be good too."  
  
Mrs. Jones went into another room and came back a few minutes later with a decorated box filled with cards and letters of condolence. She handed the box over to Olivia. "Her address book is inside too. I didn't want to miss anyone when I was sending out the notice. All I ask is that I get them back when you're done with them."  
  
"Of course and thank you." Olivia and Elliot stood to leave. Olivia's eye caught the photos of a young couple on the mantle and asked, "Is that your daughter and her husband?"  
  
"Yes, that's my son and Jana," she answered. At the detectives' startled looks, she said, "Jana's not my biological daughter, she's my son's wife. Or was," she amended. "But she was the only daughter I ever had." Mrs. Jones sniffed back tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. "It's been two years and I still miss her dearly."  
  
"We're sorry about your loss. We'll return these to you as soon as we can," Olivia said indicating the box. "Thank you."   
  
Mrs. Jones saw them to the door and closed it behind them. They could hear soft sobbing as they walked down the steps to the sidewalk. 


	5. Chapter 5

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (5/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 5  
  
STABLER RESIDENCE  
  
QUEENS  
  
JUNE 4  
  
Elliot sat in his car drained of all energy. Seeing his father was tough. Tougher still was explaining to him how his wife was killed and why. He didn't think he'd ever forget the look of accusation in his father's eyes or the overwhelming guilt he felt knowing his dad thought it was all his fault. He didn't relish going into his house, knowing he'd be facing similar faces, but he also couldn't sit outside much longer. His joints were aching with the moisture in the air and the lack of sleep over the past day.  
  
Easing the front door open, he stepped gingerly inside. No noise greeted his ears. Hopefully that meant his kids and Olivia were sleeping, or at least getting a little needed rest. He crept around the doorway to the living room and was surprised by what he saw.  
  
The three girls were curled up together on the couch with one of their mother's quilts thrown over them for warmth. Olivia sat in the overstuffed chair with Dickie on her lap sleeping with his head on Olivia's shoulder. Olivia looked up at the small noise his shoes made on the floor.  
  
Elliot stood in the doorway looking at all the people he cared the most about in one room. Something shifted in his heart at the sight of his son in his partner's arms. He didn't know what it was, but it felt right somehow.  
  
"Sssh," she whispered. "They finally wore themselves out just a while ago."  
  
He nodded his understanding and slipped off his shoes to make as little noise as possible. He motioned that he was going to the kitchen for some coffee and asked if she wanted anything. She shook her head, looking down at the sleeping child in her arms. He smiled a little at her tender concern and decided that maybe coffee wasn't what he needed either. Grabbing an extra afghan from the back of the other side chair, he sat down, propped his feet on the coffee table and draped the afghan over his legs. He rested his head against the back of the chair and closed his eyes. "Just for a moment," he thought, "just to get this raging headache tamed."  
  
Several hours later he awoke to the smell of breakfast being made. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched some of the kinks out of his spine before standing and walking across the room to join them. Five sets of eyes turned as one to watch his entrance. Four children flew at him from various points of the kitchen to hug him close.  
  
"Daddy, you're awake!" shrieked Lizzie.   
  
  
  
"Honey, I'm up," he said gathering her close. "I just needed some sleep."  
  
"We wanted to wake you, but Olivia said to leave you alone."   
  
"Thanks, guys. I guess I really needed the sleep," he said. "How are you doing this morning?"  
  
Four sets of red eyes looked up at him and the tears started to flow again.  
  
"I'm sorry, guys. I really am," he said, tears falling down his face too. Dickie clung to his side wanting to be reassured that nothing had happened to him while they'd been sleeping. Maureen touched his shoulder in comfort, both giving and receiving. Kathleen held onto Lizzie and Elliot simultaneously.   
  
Olivia took the pan of pancakes off the stove and made to leave the family to their privacy. Elliot stopped her with, "Please stay. You're a part of this family too." Olivia turned to face them and tears fell. Lizzie grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her into the family hug.   
  
"This feels good," she thought.   
  
"Too good," her little voice said. "This isn't my family. This is Elliot and Kathy's family."  
  
"I'm only borrowing them for a little while," she answered herself. "It's not like they'll need me forever. Why can't I enjoy this while I can?"   
  
The little voice replied, "Just don't get too attached, it'll only hurt worse when it goes away."  
  
Elliot was the first to make a move to disengage the contact when he heard a distinctive growl from Dickie's stomach. "Sounds like you need food, son," he said, poking Dickie's middle. "Let's see of the pancakes are salvageable or if we need to start a new batch." Moving around the kitchen he assembled plates and glasses while Olivia flipped pancakes onto a platter and the girls got juice and milk out of the fridge. Dickie sat at the table with the look of absolute hunger on his face and residual fear in his eyes.   
  
The family sat and ate their breakfast. The girls picked at the food, making the motions of eating without making it obvious that they weren't doing so. Dickie and Elliot on the other hand inhaled the food as if it was going to be their last meal ever. After breakfast was over, the kids took care of the dishes before heading upstairs to shower and change clothes. Elliot urged them all to lay down on their beds, if only to be horizontal for a little bit. He wanted them to ease into the day since there was so much they had to do.   
  
Soon the house was quiet as the kids did as requested. Elliot turned to Olivia and said, "Thank you so much for being here. It means a lot to me and the kids."  
  
"No problem, Elliot," she said. "But I think it's time I headed home myself. I need a shower and change of clothes and at least an hour in my own bed."  
  
"Go, take it easy and watch your back," he said. "I don't want to worry about losing you too."  
  
"I will. Get some sleep yourself. You could use it," she said walking up to him and giving him a quick hug. "Call me if you need anything."  
  
"Thanks." He closed the door behind her and headed upstairs for a shower and a nap.  
  
HOME OF LOUISE JENKINS  
  
MORRIS HEIGHTS  
  
APRIL 28  
  
Fin and Munch reached the top of the stairs and knocked on the door of Louise Jenkins, sister to the late Lara Jenkins.  
  
"Who's there?" a woman's voice yelled through the door.  
  
"Detectives Munch and Tutuola," came the reply. "Are you Louise Jenkins?"  
  
"Show me your badges. Hold them up to the peephole," the voice commanded.  
  
Dutifully raising their badges to peephole level, Fin rolled his eyes at Munch who waited with patience for the woman to believe they really were cops. The sound of locks turning told them she did believe.  
  
"What can I do you for?" the woman asked, holding the door partially closed in front of her.  
  
"Are you Ms. Jenkins?" Fin asked.  
  
"That would be me. What's the problem?" she asked with a bit of attitude.  
  
"We wanted to ask you some questions about your sister," Fin said.  
  
"Now? Five years after someone beat her up and left her dead in an alley? You come to me now for answers?" With each question her voice rose a little bit. "What, someone more important die the same way and now you come looking for cold clues?"  
  
Munch stepped in sensing that his partner's famed irritation was about to make an entrance. "Not more important, Ms. Jenkins, just another young woman like your sister. Someone's friend, someone's sister, someone's daughter. We're hoping that something you remember might help us solve BOTH cases."  
  
"Hmmph," she snorted. "Likely story, but come inside anyway. Don't mind the cats, they have a tendency to perch wherever there's a lap." She showed them into her small, cluttered apartment. She sat at the small kitchen table while Munch tried to perch on a small stool not covered by cats. Fin leaned against the wall hoping to avoid as much of the cat fur as possible. He didn't want to look like an angora sweater when he walked out the door.  
  
"Ms. Jenkins," Munch started. "What can you remember about the last time you saw your sister?"  
  
"It was September 22, 1999. She left here to meet a friend for dinner and a movie. I told her she needed to have him come pick her up, but she wouldn't listen to me. If she'd only done that, she'd be alive today," Louise said.  
  
"Did she ever make it to dinner?" Munch asked.  
  
"No, her friend called here about two hours after she left asking where she was. I told him she went to meet him at the restaurant. He said maybe she got lost and he'd call back later if she didn't show up. I didn't hear from him, so I figured she got there. It wasn't until the next morning when he called to see if she was home that I found out the bum had left the restaurant shortly after we talked. He figured that is Lara didn't have the decency to say she was going to be late, he didn't need to stick around waiting for her."  
  
"Do you remember what her friend's name was?"  
  
"Heavens, no," she replied. "That was five years ago. I'm lucky to remember all my cats' names." She mindlessly pet the one that leaped up into her lap and watched as Fin did a little dance in the doorway trying to avoid the three cats milling at his feet. Munch just ignored the two cats staring up at him, hoping that if he didn't acknowledge them, they'd go away.  
  
"I do remember that she wore a black leather skirt that was shorter than I'd have liked to see her in and a red silk blouse with a short black jacket over it. She always liked to dress a little provocative, but never trashy."  
  
"Did she have any friends that might remember anything else?" Fin asked, hoping to get out of the apartment before he started to sneeze his fool head off.  
  
"Her friend, Maryanne from down the hall, moved a couple of years ago and I don't know where she went, so that won't help. There was Joe from the corner store, but I haven't seen him in years. He might still be there. Maybe Carla at the theater. They used to usher together before Lara died."  
  
"Which store and what theater, Ms. Jenkins?" Munch asked, knowing his partner was getting antsy to leave.  
  
"Jon's Market down the block to the right and Street Theater over on Sedgwick," she replied. "I hope you get this guy. Good girls are dying and no one's doing anything to stop it from happening again."  
  
"We're trying, Ms. Jenkins," Munch said. "We're trying."  
  
Munch was standing up to shake Louise's hand when he heard an undignified yelp from behind him. Turning quickly to see what was going on, he nearly bit his tongue trying not to laugh. Louise dashed around Munch and swatted the cat who'd sunk its claws into Fin's left leg. "Let go of the nice man, Punch," she said. "That's not one of your scratch toys." She tried to ease the claws out of Fin's leg, but the cat was having none of it. The more they tried to get him to let go, the deeper the claws went in.   
  
Munch, finally having gotten the laughter under control walked over to Fin and knelt down in front of the cat. He whispered a few words into the cat's ear and gently pulled him off his partner's leg. Making a cursory look to see if the cat drew blood, he stood and motioned for Fin to lead the way out of the apartment. Fin threw Munch a nasty look and left in a hurry before the cat struck again.   
  
Fin massaged his leg as Munch drove away. "What did you say to that man-eating feline?" he asked with venom in his voice.  
  
"I merely told him that if he didn't let go, he'd probably develop a case of rabies."  
  
It took Fin a few moments to realize what Munch was implying. He threw Munch a nasty look that promised retribution.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
MAY 4  
  
Cragen came out of his office and asked the room, "Any leads? Any clues? Anything at all?"  
  
Munch came from around the coffee area and replied, "I've got some evidence the proves the moon landing was just a Hollywood stunt to swindle huge sums of money from the government and the American public and that Francis Ford Coppola was really the force behind the Kennedy assassination."  
  
Cragen didn't dignify the comment with so much as a rolled eye. He looked at the rest of his detectives and said, "Anyone ELSE?"  
  
Fin put down his pencil and said, "Cap, I think we might have two killers here. Somethin's not adding up here. Only four of the previous victims match up with our latest two. The rest, they're too scattered around and too inconsistent."  
  
"Inconsistent how?"  
  
"Dunno how to explain it, it just don't fit."  
  
"What's the timeline then?" Cragen suggested.   
  
"I'm thinking that maybe these three," Fin said pointing to the first, second and fourth, "all belong to the same perp. It's possible that six, eight and eleven are also the same guy, but there's something a little off about them."  
  
"I think Fin's right," Olivia chimed in. "I think that three, seven, nine and ten are the same guy as our latest two. If you look at it, the spacing between the killings show consistent escalation. There's about nine months between the first two, then seven months, five months, three months and finally two weeks. They all have similar bruising and damage to the breasts and groin. All were sexually assaulted with probably the same weapon that they were beaten with. None of them had any trace evidence from the perp, which means that he's careful in spite of his anger."  
  
"Sounds plausible," Cragen answered. "Anything that's sticking out in anyone's mind about why these women?"  
  
Munch started pacing in front of the board mumbling to himself. "Marina, Jana, Tami, Anna, Lizette and our latest victim, name still unknown. Marina," he muttered, "known to her family as Marinochka. Jana is Tatjana; Tami is Tamara; and Anna is Anastasia."  
  
"Munch, what are you muttering about over there?" Elliot asked.  
  
"I don't know if this means anything, but all these women have Russian names. Or at least Americanized Russian names. Did anyone check to find out if they're immigrants?"  
  
Olivia and Elliot grabbed the pile of reports and started going through them looking for any information about immigrant status.   
  
Fin looked at his partner like he'd grown a second head. "How'd you come up with that?" he asked.  
  
"Big brain," Munch retorted, tapping his head.  
  
Olivia pulled several files together in front of her. "I think Munch is onto something," she said. "Marina Price was born Marinochka Khevetov and came to the U.S. four years ago. Jana Jones was born Tatjana Fomin. She came over three years ago. Tami Jenkins, born Tamara Belousov, immigrated three and a half years ago."  
  
"Anna Chow was born Anastasia Petrov. Immigrated two years ago. And then we have Lizette Cullen. Born Lizette Dronin and came to New York six months ago," added Elliot.   
  
"I'm sensing a pattern here, kids," Cragen interjected. "What could all these women be involved in that would get them killed within a few years of their immigration? What do they all have in common other than their country of origin?"  
  
"Gotta be a mob connection in there somewhere, boss," Munch said. "Who's the biggest Russian mobster these days?"  
  
"That would be Kelsii Hatagov," Fin said.  
  
"And how did you know that?" Munch asked, surprised by his partner.  
  
"Bigger brain." 


	6. Chapter 6

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (6/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 6  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
JUNE 4 - 8:00 AM  
  
Cragen sat in his office talking on the phone with the head of the bomb squad. "I don't care what your orders are, Jack, I need to know what you found and I need to know now! That was one of my guys' wives that was killed. I know that protocol demands separation of our units, especially in something like this, but dammit man! If this is a mob hit, I need to start protecting Elliot and the rest of his family."  
  
"Don, until we know more, we're working under the assumption that this isn't a mob hit directed at Stabler. If we go in with one idea and we're wrong, then we could end up in more trouble and more deaths," Jack McKinley said. "I know you're worried about your people, but we screw this up because of pressure from you, it'll be BOTH our heads and you know it."  
  
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Cragen replied. "Just keep me in the loop."  
  
"As much as I can, Don."  
  
Fin and Munch were lounging outside Cragen's door when he hung up the phone.  
  
"Anything, Cap," Fin asked.  
  
"No, same answer that we give to other units when we're investigating something involving them. 'No comment.' "  
  
"That sucks," Munch said. "If they'd let us in, we'd be able to help with their investigation and maybe find the assholes that did this faster."  
  
"That's probably what they're afraid of, John. We can't unduly influence this case or there'll be hell to pay when it goes to trial. We have to allow them to do this by the book so the people behind this are not only tried, but convicted and then summarily executed."  
  
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean we have to give up on our end of the case, does it?" Fin asked.  
  
"What do you mean?" Cragen responded.  
  
"Well, if they're going to be looking at the bomb and Kathy's death, why can't we keep looking at Hatagov and his little house of horrors?"  
  
"I see what you mean," Munch stated, "you mean keep looking at why he had a nice little S&M room in the back of his supposedly clean club. And look into the possibility that he's running prostitutes or drugs out of there too. Perhaps anything we find there might be able to tie him back to the bombing."  
  
"Fine, go ahead, but *be careful*, we don't want IAB coming in and saying we're interfering with another division's case or that we're trying to falsely create evidence here to convict a man we suspect of being involved in Kathy Stabler's death," Cragen said. "Be quiet about what you're doing and *don't get caught*," he stressed.  
  
Fin and Munch quickly headed out before Cragen could change his mind.  
  
WHITE NIGHTS  
  
KELSII HATAGOV'S CLUB  
  
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
  
Fin pounded on the door figuring someone had to be inside, even though the club wasn't open for business for another twelve hours. Munch went around back hoping to find an open door or some indication of life inside. Fin's pounding was answered before Munch's snooping paid off.  
  
"We're closed. Whaddya want?" asked the burly man at the door.  
  
"To come inside," Fin said.  
  
"Come back after eight tonight."  
  
"Not gonna do that. We need to see the manager now," he said.   
  
"'Bout what?" asked the man.  
  
"'Bout the woman found in the club a few weeks ago and the other activities that we took notice of back then," Fin responded.  
  
"Don't know what you're talkin' about. The dead woman wasn't found in the club."  
  
"Wha' dead woman?" Fin asked.  
  
The burly man tried to slam the door shut on Fin, but was thwarted when Fin stuffed his booted foot in the doorway. "I think you just gave me cause to come inside." Fin pushed his way inside, calling to Munch on the radio. "Munch, front door's open, I'm going in."  
  
"Be right there," Munch responded.  
  
Moments later Munch arrived at the front door and found Fin standing with a burly man looking more than a little disgusted with himself. Over what, Munch didn't know, but he felt certain he'd find out soon enough.  
  
"Hey, thanks for opening up for us," Munch quipped. "We appreciate it." Turning to Fin he asked, "Got somethin'?"  
  
"Oh, yeah," Fin answered. "Ivan here said the 'dead woman' wasn't found in the club."  
  
"Oh really?" Munch responded. "What dead woman?"  
  
"That's the question I was about to ask."   
  
"So, Ivan, got an answer?" Munch asked, turning to the burly man.  
  
"I want my lawyer," came the answer.  
  
"Sounds good to me," Fin said, grabbing the man by the back of the collar. "Let's get you down to the station and you can call him from there."  
  
Fin hustled the burly man into the sedan while Munch got behind the wheel.  
  
"Hey! I'm driving," Fin said, shutting the backdoor.  
  
"You got the perp, I got the keys. Means I drive," Munch retorted.  
  
"Guess we better put the sirens on to make sure the pigeons know which way to fly."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
"Who's this?" Cragen asked when Munch and Fin returned.  
  
"Don't know yet. He lawyered up at the club," Fin said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Something about the dead woman not being in the club."  
  
"What dead woman?"  
  
"Same question we asked," Munch said, "when he lawyered up. Didn't get another word out of him in the car."  
  
"Take him to Interrogation after you give him his phone call," Cragen replied.  
  
"Will do, Cap," Fin said, dragging the man over to the phone. "Make your call, slime ball. I'll be over here waiting."  
  
While the man made his call, Munch asked Cragen, "Did you hear from Elliot yet?"  
  
"No, but I did hear from Olivia," he answered. "She's heading over to the Stablers' to see if there's anything she can do to help out. She said she'd called me later this morning."  
  
"Let her know ..." Munch started, not sure what he wanted to say.  
  
"Yeah, I already told her you guys were working on things and that we're here if Elliot or the kids needed anything. I'm sure we'll hear from her if there's anything we can do," Cragen said.   
  
Fin's suspect put down the phone and looked like he wanted to make another call. Fin intercepted the man and said, "You're coming with me. Got a nice little room picked out just for you. This way." He walked the man into the interrogation room, pulled out a chair and said, "Sit. We'll let you know when your mouthpiece gets here." With that he left the room and locked the door behind him.  
  
"He's all secure, Cap. Just gotta wait for the lawyer to show up," he said. "Any news on Elliot?"  
  
"I just told Munch that Olivia's on the way over there now. She said she'd call in if there was anything we could do to help."  
  
"It's gotta be hard on Elliot with all those kids. Glad Livia's around to help," Fin said.  
  
STABLER RESIDENCE  
  
QUEENS  
  
10:00 AM  
  
Maureen heard the knock on the door first. She looked out the window to see who was there. "Hi, Olivia," she said, unlocking the door. "I didn't expect to see you so soon."  
  
"Thought your dad could use my help while he took care of funeral arrangements," she replied.  
  
"Dad's not down yet, but I can hear him moving around upstairs, so I don't know what his plans are yet," Maureen said. "Can I get you a cup of coffee? I just put a pot on for Dad."  
  
"That would be great, thanks," Olivia said, coming into the kitchen. "How'd you sleep? Did you get any?"  
  
"Some. I closed my eyes a bit and woke up about an hour ago. Don't know if you'd call it sleep, but I did rest my eyes."   
  
"Good. Where are your sisters and brother?"  
  
"Dickie's still sleeping. Lizzie is taking care of her dolls, cuddling them and making sure they're safe. And Kathleen's getting dressed," she answered.  
  
Olivia and Maureen quietly chatted while the rest of the household got started on what would be one of the toughest days in their collective lives. Kids trickled into the kitchen one by one greeting Olivia with a hug and kiss before sitting down to whatever snacks they found in the fridge or cupboards.   
  
Soon Elliot joined them saying, "Livia, I didn't expect to see you this morning."  
  
"Where else was I going to be when my partner needed me?" she asked back.  
  
"Did you talk to Cragen yet?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, last word was the bomb squad was still sifting through the debris and getting things sent over to the crime lab for analysis. Munch and Fin were looking into White Nights, hoping to find a lead from that direction. And Cragen had been told to back off of the homicide part of the case."  
  
"Why?!" Elliot asked excitedly.  
  
"Because the higher ups didn't want any question of tampering or undue influence when they catch the guy that did this. If our unit stays out of it, there's a better chance that this prick ... oops, sorry kids," Olivia said looking at the family.  
  
"That's okay," Lizzie said. "Daddy says worse all the time."  
  
Elliot glared mildly at his youngest daughter and shot Olivia a look that said 'don't start.' Olivia wisely didn't say a word.  
  
"Back to what I was saying, there's a better chance that the suspect's lawyer won't be able to convince the court that his client was railroaded if we stay out," she finished.  
  
"Yeah, well, I don't like it," Elliot said.  
  
"I know, I don't either. But you let them handle this, Elliot. I don't want Kathy's death to go unpunished because you won't let homicide do their jobs."  
  
"I hear you, Livia."  
  
Elliot finished his coffee and said to the family, "I need to go see Father Brian and make arrangements for your mother's services. Livia, do you mind staying with the kids?"  
  
"Of course not," she answered.  
  
"Dad," Maureen asked, "can I go with you?"  
  
"Go with me?"  
  
"Yeah, to make the arrangements. I want to be a part of this."  
  
Elliot looked at his oldest daughter, really looked at her for the first time in a long time. He realized she wasn't the young girl or flighty teenager he remembered. She was an adult asking to help put her mother to rest. "Sure, honey, I'd love to have you along." He reached out to give her a hug. She hugged him back and he whispered, "Mom would be so proud of you."  
  
Kathleen started to ask if she could go too, when Elliot said, "I want the rest of you to stay with Olivia. I need to know that you'll be safe." Kathleen wisely didn't push for inclusion at this time.  
  
"I need to check in with Cragen," Olivia said. "But beyond that, I'm yours."  
  
"Daddy, why don't we, all of us," Kathleen said, motioning to her younger siblings, "go down to the station with Olivia. We couldn't be any safer than in a police station, could we?"  
  
"I don't know if that's ..." Elliot started.  
  
"Elliot," Olivia interrupted. "That's not a bad idea. I can check in with Cragen and find out what Fin and Munch have been up to and the kids will be around people they know and care about."  
  
"Okay, just don't go anywhere else without letting me know."  
  
"Not a problem," Olivia said. "Kids, get your stuff, looks like we've got a road trip."  
  
When the kids went for their backpacks and purses, Olivia took Elliot aside and said, "Don't worry about them. Fin and Munch will love having them around. And you'll know exactly where they are."  
  
"I know. I'll give you a call at the station when we're done," he said. "Maureen, you ready?" he yelled up the stairs.  
  
"Coming." 


	7. Chapter 7

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (7/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
WHITE NIGHTS  
  
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
  
MAY 4  
  
Elliot and Olivia tried the front door of the club, hoping that someone would be inside in spite of the fact it was early afternoon. They were in luck, the door opened with ease. They stepped inside, closing the door behind them. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity, they headed towards the back and ran into a pretty, rather pregnant woman putting away bar supplies.  
  
"Can I help you?" she asked.  
  
"We're looking for Kelsii Hatagov," Elliot said.  
  
"He's not here at the moment. Is there something I can do for you?" she asked, continuing to put things in the bar refrigerator.  
  
"What do you know about Mr. Hatagov's business?"  
  
"A lot, I'm his wife, Heather," came the reply. Looking at the man and woman in front of her she asked, "Are you the new investment bankers?"  
  
"We're …" Olivia started.  
  
"Yeah," continued Heather, as if Olivia hadn't started to speak, "Kelsii said a couple of new investment bankers were going to stop by this morning. That's why I left the front door open."  
  
Elliot and Olivia glanced at each other sharing a look of 'Do we go with the flow or tell her the truth?' It only took that moment for them to decide to play the cards they were dealt.  
  
"We're glad you did. We weren't sure how we'd get in," Olivia finished.  
  
"I'm sure you'll be thrilled the operation," Heather said. "If you'll come with me, I have some paperwork for you, we can take a little tour. By then, hopefully, Kelsii will be back."  
  
"That would be great, thank you. By the way, I'm Sam and this is my partner Jack."   
  
"It's very nice to meet you both," Heather said, shaking their hands. "I'm sure you'll be pleased with our little operation here and thrilled with the return on investment for your clients."  
  
Heather's bubbly personality and enthusiasm towards the club and the people that worked and played there was fun for the detectives to witness. It's not often that they come into contact with people in up moments, it's usually the opposite. They visited the various levels of the club from the main dance floor to the seating area upstairs and the private dining rooms on the third floor. She also showed them the kitchen, workrooms and the DJ booth.   
  
"State of the art, all the way," Elliot commented. "Very nice."  
  
"Kelsii wouldn't have it any other way. He wants all of our patrons to feel like they're special to us. That we'll go that extra mile to make their evening a memorable time. It's one of the reasons we've been here for so long and why people like you are here looking to help us be around for years to come."  
  
"How do you handle special requests?" Olivia asked.  
  
"We handle them," she replied. "Whatever a patron needs or wants, within reason of course, we will provide to them. I don't know of anyone that's left here unhappy. Well," she laughed, "except for those that couldn't get in to begin with."  
  
"When are you due?" Elliot asked, switching gears.  
  
"July. It's our first. Do you have any kids?" she asked back.  
  
"I have four," Elliot said.  
  
"I'm not married," Olivia responded when Heather turned to her.  
  
"I'm sure you will be one day. You're such a lovely woman."  
  
"Thank you," Olivia said. "When do you expect your husband back?"  
  
"He should be coming in any time now," Heather answered. "If you'll excuse me for a moment, I'll check to find out what happened to him." She left the office to use another phone to find her husband.  
  
"I don't think she knows what else goes on here," Olivia said to Elliot.   
  
"Nope. Though I wonder if she's as completely oblivious as she appears," he responded.  
  
"Do we wait for Hatagov to show or head out before he gets here?"  
  
"I think we should take off before he comes in and finds out we lied to his wife."  
  
Gathering the packet of paperwork Heather had given to them earlier, they walked out of Heather's office hoping to at least tell her good-bye. Unfortunately she wasn't on their walk towards the front, so they left without a word.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
"I don't know how finance guys do this every day," Elliot said after wading through part of the information Heather Hatagov gave them. "All those numbers and weird designations. Makes my head hurt."  
  
"I gotta agree with you there," Olivia replied. "Makes me glad I'm not an investment banker for real." She continued to read her section of the paperwork. "Hey, this is interesting."  
  
"What's that?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Aisle Be There is one of Hatagov's holdings."  
  
"The wedding planning company?"  
  
"Yeah. It's listed as a matchmaking service in addition to a wedding planning company," she answered. "I wonder if we should be looking at that business as an off-shoot of Hatagov's nightclub. Maybe he's using her services to blackmail or extort money from prominent businessmen. All of the women were married to American men that have cushy jobs and are in a position to do favors if the right pressure were exerted."  
  
"That's a possibility," Elliot said. "Want to take a run down and find out?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
AISLE BE THERE  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
"Hello, Kevin," Elliot said when they got to the reception desk. "Is Ms. Rayner available?"  
  
"Oh!" Kevin said a little startled to see the detectives back. "Um, you know, I don't know. If you'll wait a moment, I'll go find out." He hurried off to find his boss. A few minutes later he came back and said, "I couldn't find her. Alison, one of the coordinator, said she thought Dede left about 20 minutes ago for a meeting."  
  
"Do you know where she went?" Olivia asked.  
  
"To meet one of her clients. Alison didn't know which one. I can try her cell if you need me to."  
  
"That would be great, Kevin," Elliot replied.  
  
Kevin dialed Dede's number and waited for it to connect. "Hi, Dede, it's Kevin. The detectives are here at the office and wanted to talk to you. Give me a call back when you get this message."  
  
"Sorry, she wasn't answering. She won't answer if she's with a client. She thinks it's rude. Hopefully she'll call back soon," he said. "In the meantime, is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"Do you have a list of past clients?" Elliot asked.  
  
"We have all our clients' files here or in storage," Kevin responded. "What do you need?"  
  
"We wanted to know if any of these women were former clients." Elliot handed Kevin the list of victims.  
  
Kevin took the list and sat at his computer. "Let me just run the names through the computer and I can tell you if they at least filled out a matchmaking application or not. The rest of the information would be back with Dede or one of the coordinators. I don't have access to all that info."  
  
Kevin typed away as his computer, jotting notes on the paper Elliot gave him. Several minutes later he looked up and said, "All of these women filled out applications. I don't know if they actually used the services or not. We'll have to wait until Dede comes back to find out for certain."  
  
"In the meantime," Olivia said, "do you have a list of current employees and board of directors?"  
  
"That I do have," Kevin said with a smile. "Let me make a copy for you."   
  
Moments later the detectives walked out of the office with the notes from Kevin's search, an employee contact list and the board of directors list.   
  
"Not bad for a 30 minute visit," Elliot said.  
  
"Not at all. It also gave Kevin a chance to undress you again," she said with a grin.  
  
"To do what?" Elliot exclaimed.  
  
"You didn't notice? He was definitely checking you out. Probably wondering if your marriage was a sham or real," she said, dancing just out of Elliot's reach.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
Elliot ran into Olivia's backside when she came to a screeching halt just before the bullpen doors.   
  
"Wha'?!" he asked, grabbing Olivia to keep from knocking her to the floor.  
  
"Um," Olivia couldn't quite say what was on her mind. She could only point in the direction of Munch and Fin's desks.  
  
"Oh My GOD!" Elliot shouted. "What happened to you?"   
  
Munch looked up with confusion, "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well, um, your face?"  
  
Fin said quietly, "Born that way. Bad gene pool."  
  
Olivia couldn't help herself, she started to laugh. "Munch, your face is an interesting shade of … well, purple."  
  
"It's what?!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Purple. You look like you got slapped by an Oompah Loompah," she said choking back her laughter.  
  
Munch sped out of the room to see what Olivia and Elliot were talking about.  
  
"Don't think I've ever seen him move that fast since he thought he saw a black helicopter tailing us a year ago," Fin said.  
  
"What happened?" Elliot asked Fin, knowing that he had something to do with Munch's current state of face.  
  
"Don't know what you're talkin' about," came the response.  
  
"Yeah, likely story," Elliot scoffed and then laughed.  
  
A very loud growl could be heard echoing off the corridor. "Guess he didn't like what he saw," Fin said. "Maybe he'll understand why I'm so cranky all the time, having to look at that face every day."  
  
Munch could be heard stomping down the hallway and the exclamations of surprise by the other cops in the vicinity. He'd growl and they'd back off, but the grins and laughter trailed him back to the squad room.  
  
"You are so dead!" he yelled at Fin.  
  
"Why?" Fin asked.  
  
"Why?!? Because you did THIS to me!" he said pointing to his face and the palms of his hands.  
  
"Me? I didn't do anything. Not my fault you spilled powder on your desk and didn't get it all cleaned it up."  
  
"Powder? I didn't spill any powder …" Munch stopped mid-sentence. The light bulb went off suddenly and he really got animated. "That little bag propped up against my phone?! The one that dumped out on my desk?! You dirty rotten, stinkin' evil little toad! You planted it knowing I'd knock it over and not question what it was! How could you?! What have I ever done to deserve this?!?!" Munch was almost hopping up and down while he yelled at his partner.  
  
Cragen stuck his head out of the office asking, "What's all the caterwauling about?"  
  
Munch spun to explain the situation when Cragen burst out in loud guffaws. Munch threw the entire group a disgusted look and stormed up to the crib hoping to find something to clean the dye off his face and hands.  
  
Cragen wisely didn't ask for verification that anyone was the source of this mess. Feeling like a father more than commander at times, he knew it was sometimes better to let the kids battle things out by themselves. He turned to Elliot and asked, "Did you find anything at the wedding shop?"  
  
"Yeah, we found out that all the victims had at least been to Aisle Be There. We won't know if they actually used the services until Ms. Rayner returns from her meeting, but the receptionist was extremely helpful in getting us the names of the employees and their board of directors. We can match them up against the board listed in White Nights' investment documents to see if anything matches up or sticks out," Elliot responded.  
  
"Since it's been a long day, why don't you guys work on this in the morning," Cragen said. "Hopefully by then the remnants of the theft detection powder will be off Munch's face and he'll be able to see people without scaring them off."  
  
"Thanks, Cap'n. See you in the morning," Olivia said gathering her things and heading out. Elliot and Fin followed her shortly after. It look a little while longer to get Munch out of the bathroom, but he too, eventually went home. 


	8. Chapter 8

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (8/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 8  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
MAY 5  
  
Spending several hours pouring over the documents and running names through the computer for any priors, they came up with a small list of people involved with both the matchmaking service and White Nights. They included Kelsii and Heather Hatagov, Pasek Ermler, Jonathan Klein, Andrew Walkenof and Nathaniel Cullen.  
  
"Olivia?"   
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"This is interesting," Elliot said. "Nate Cullen, husband to the late Lizette Cullen, is on the board of directors for both Aisle Be There and White Nights."  
  
"Could be coincidence," she replied.  
  
"Could be, but I don't like it. Let's go talk to him again."  
  
"Sure. Someone should also go talk to Kelsii since we didn't find him the last time we went," Olivia said. "Fin, Munch, you guys wanna go check out White Nights?"  
  
"Sure," Fin said, "at least the dark club will come in handy for Munch."  
  
Olivia took a quick glance at Munch's face. It wasn't as vividly purple this morning, but it wasn't back to normal either. From the looks of it, Munch had tried using a scouring pad to take the color off. "Now he's purple, red AND blotchy. I should have told him about lemon juice and baking powder. The combo's done wonders for sunless tanning accidents, maybe it would help with this," she thought. "Oh well, it should only be a couple more days before it fades."  
  
WHITE NIGHTS  
  
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
  
Fin and Munch had no trouble entering the club because the front door was propped open.  
  
"Looks like they're moving," Fin said.  
  
"That, or a massive fire sale," Munch replied.  
  
All around the main floor were boxes and furniture wrapped in plastic. A large man approached from behind one stack of boxes.  
  
"What are you doing in here?" he snapped.  
  
"We wanted to talk to Hatagov," Munch replied.  
  
"Not here. Get lost, purple man."  
  
"What's going on here?" Munch asked, ignoring the edict to leave and the slur on his current pigment problem.  
  
"None of your business."  
  
"We're making it our business," Fin said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because we're in the moving trade and wanted to get a chance to compete for your business," answered Munch.  
  
"You're obviously not very good at it if you can't tell delivered goods from moving boxes," sneered the man. He motioned for two men in the back of the club to come help with the intruders.  
  
"Not talkin' 'bout the stuff in the middle here," Fin said, pointing to the new furniture. "We're talkin' 'bout whatever this is replacin'. It's gotta go somewhere, right?"  
  
The man relented some at the logic, but didn't readily accept the answer. He motioned for the men to stay put for the moment. "So, whatever you wanna talk to Hatagov about, you can talk to me about. I'm in charge of the day-to-day stuff."   
  
"And you would be?" queried Munch.  
  
"Pasek Ermler. And you two?"  
  
"I'm John Munch and this is my partner Odafin Tutuola."  
  
"So, you say you're in the moving trade," started Pasek. "Forgive for not believing you, but you look too soft to do this for a living."  
  
"We don't DO the moving," Munch said. "We just kinda direct others to do it for us. We're the brains behind the brawn."  
  
Pasek looked at Munch's face and laughed before saying, "If you're the brains, I'd hate to see what the idiots look like."  
  
Fin grabbed Munch's arm before he could do anything detrimental to their visit. "It was a little accident with his ex-girlfriend."  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah," Munch said, taking up the thread, "she didn't like that I was stepping out on her, so she put some dye on my soap so when I went to wash my hands and face, this happened. To say the least, I tossed her out the next morning."  
  
"Good thing," Pasek replied. "She'd be dangerous around anything sharp."  
  
"Yeah, no kidding." The three men shared a laugh at the antics of crazy women.   
  
"Speaking of women," Munch said thoughtfully. "I met a beautiful woman a few weeks ago that said she worked for Hatagov. I was hoping to remake her acquaintance."  
  
"Who would that be?"   
  
"Dede. I didn't catch her last name," Munch said.  
  
"Only Dede I know working for Kelsii is Dede Rayner. She runs a matchmaking service and wedding coordinating company," Pasek replied.  
  
"Pretty brunette about 5'5" with a nice hourglass figure?" Munch asked.  
  
"That's her," Pasek answered a little defensively. "Where'd you meet her?"  
  
"I bumped into her at a coffee shop. She struck me as someone I'd like to get to know." Munch was at his charming best reminiscing about an event that never occurred.  
  
"She's not available."  
  
"She married?" Munch asked.  
  
"No."   
  
"Seeing someone?"  
  
"No."   
  
"Ah, lesbian?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
The more Munch asked about Dede, the more curt Pasek got. Munch decided to give up that line of questioning and said, "Sorry, man, didn't mean to push. Just thought the lady was beautiful and wanted to get to know her better. Maybe she can hook me up through her services," he mused to himself, waiting to see what, if any reaction he'd get from Pasek.  
  
"Might be best if you just leave the lady alone," Pasek said. "Now, back to your original reason for coming in. What can you offer us and at what price?"  
  
The men spent some time chatting about various options for getting rid of the pieces White Nights wasn't keeping and how much it would cost. They left with an understanding that they'd have to come back with a formal written quote before Pasek would agree to anything.  
  
Walking back to the car, Munch asked Fin, "Did you get the feeling that our friend Pasek's hung up on Dede?"  
  
"Maybe. He's definitely got a hard-on about the lady though," Fin replied. "Definitely didn't like you asking about her."  
  
"Wonder what's his story."  
  
"I could ask my friend in OCB. Maybe they have something on him," Fin said.  
  
"Let's get back to the squad."  
  
POLICE SEDAN  
  
STREETS OF MANHATTAN  
  
Elliot's phone rang. "Stabler."  
  
"I need you back at the squad room. We may have found out who our second vic is," said Cragen.  
  
"We'll be right there," Elliot said turning onto a side street to head back to the station.  
  
Special Victims Unit  
  
Squad Room  
  
"In my office," Cragen said when they walked in. Closing the door behind them, Cragen said, "These are two of my detectives, Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler." Turning to the two, he added, "I'd like you to meet Darius Newhouse." Hands were shook as Elliot leaned against the desk and Olivia took the chair opposite the man. "He came in to file a missing person's report on his wife and someone down there thought we could help."  
  
"Mr. Newhouse, how long has your wife been missing?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I don't really know. I just got back from a trip. I went to Taipei for the International Sporting Goods Show and then stayed an extra week to work out some deals with vendors. I then went to Australia for another trade show and vendor visits. Sasha was supposed to be in Rome for a photo shoot, so when I got home and didn't see her, I figured she ran into some friends and stayed a couple of extra days. It wasn't until I listened to our answering machine this morning that I realized she didn't go to Rome," Darius said.  
  
"Could she have gone to visit some friends and not told you?" Elliot asked.  
  
"I doubt it. She's a model and spends every all her time either working or hanging out with her friends who are also models. She's also very good about keeping appointments. She'd never flake on something this big. She'd been excited about this shoot for weeks. It was her stepping stone to the big time."  
  
"Didn't you think it odd that she didn't call you while you were gone?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Not really. I'd leave her messages and she'd leave me messages. I talked to her when I was in Taipei, so I didn't think much of it. With our schedules this month, being on different sides of the world, we knew it wouldn't be easy to keep in daily contact. We both arranged to take next week off from everything to concentrate on us." Darius was trying to make the detectives understand that unconventional communication wasn't out of the norm for he and his wife. "Does that make sense?"  
  
"Do you have a recent picture of your wife?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Yeah, I brought one in figuring the missing person's report would need one." Darius pulled an envelope out of his briefcase and handed Olivia the picture. "She's a real beauty. She'd only been in the country a couple of months when we met and fell in love. We got married shortly afterward." He got a wistful look on his face remembering their whirlwind courtship and wedding.  
  
"Where was she from?" Olivia asked, passing the photo to Cragen.  
  
"Georgia."  
  
"The state?" she asked.  
  
"No, the Republic of Georgia," Darius explained.  
  
"Mr. Newhouse," Cragen started, "I'm sorry to tell you this, but I believe your wife is dead."  
  
"What?!"   
  
"We found a woman's body a little over a week ago that matches pretty well with this photograph. I'd like you to go with the detectives to the morgue to identify the body."  
  
"She's dead?" Darius repeated. "How? What happened? Why wasn't I notified before this?"  
  
"Mr. Newhouse, please go with the detectives. They'll be able to answer your questions once she's been identified," Cragen said.  
  
The detectives stood and ushered Mr. Newhouse out to the bullpen. "We'll call you when we know," Elliot said to Cragen.  
  
"Please do," he replied. "I'll call Warner to let her know you're coming.  
  
CITY MORGUE  
  
"Right this way, Mr. Newhouse," Olivia said, escorting him into the viewing room. "You'll be able to view the body on the monitor over here. They'll pull the sheet back from the face. It won't be very easy to see, but we need to make sure who she is so we can start to find out what happened to her."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Let me know when you're ready."  
  
"Let's do this. I don't think I can wait another minute to know if it's my Sasha or not," he replied.  
  
Olivia turned on the TV monitor and then knocked on the window so the attendant could pull the sheet back. Darius took one glance at the screen and said stoically, "That's her. Now what?"  
  
"Now we go back to the station and figure out what happened and who could have done this to her."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
INTERVIEW ROOM  
  
"Mr. Newhouse," Olivia said, handing him a cup of water, "we understand this is a tough time for you, but we need to ask you about your wife's activities so we might be able to trace her steps and find the person that did this to her."  
  
"I know," he replied, taking a sip. "Where do you want to start?"  
  
"Where did you meet your wife?"  
  
"Through a matchmaker called Aisle Be There."  
  
"You said she'd only been here a couple of months before you met, how long ago was that?"  
  
"Two years. We've been married almost 18 months."  
  
"What made you pick a matchmaking service?"  
  
"I'd tried the bar scene and the Internet games, but nothing worked out. Either the women were gold diggers or they lied about who and what they were. I wanted to find a wife, not a playmate. So when a friend suggested Aisle Be There, I figured why not," Darius explained. "I really liked the woman that runs the place. She's open and honest. She didn't just look at the bottom line, she really seemed to care about her clients and wanted to see them happy and married."  
  
"Who would that be?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Dede Rayner," Darius answered. "When I first met her I thought she might be a good catch, but she makes it a point to not get involved with her clients."  
  
"Sounds like good business," Olivia stated.  
  
"I think it's because she's involved with one of the guys that work for her boss."  
  
Elliot's ears perked up at the mention of Hatagov. He feigned disinterest when he said, "Getting involved with someone from work can be hard to handle if things go bad."  
  
"Yeah," Darius agreed. "But I always wondered if he wasn't more involved with her than she was with him, if you know what I mean."  
  
"How so?" Olivia asked.  
  
"She did our wedding and he was always following her around with his eyes, even if he wasn't standing with her. But when she wasn't with him, it was like he didn't exist," Darius answered. "I didn't ask her about it, figuring it wasn't my business, but it always struck me as interesting."  
  
"You said your wife was a model. When was she supposed to leave for Rome?"   
  
"On Friday the 23rd in the morning. The photo shoot was supposed to start on Saturday, so she wanted to leave the day before to get acclimated and over the jet lag."  
  
"Do you know what her schedule was for that week?"  
  
"Not really. She kept everything in her planner and it's not at the apartment."  
  
"When was the last time you talked to her or got a message from her?"  
  
"On Wednesday. She was going in for a fitting the next day and she was excited about the clothes she was going to get to wear. Very high-end, very chic and very new. At least that's what she said. I don't know much about fashion except what you wear to sporting events," he laughed self-consciously.  
  
"What agency was she working out of?"  
  
"Madeline's on Fifth."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Newhouse," Olivia said, closing her notebook. "I think that about covers it. Our condolences on your loss. If you think of anything, please give us a call."  
  
"I will. Thank you for your kindness. Both of you," he said including Elliot in his nod. "I need to make arrangements for Sasha's funeral."  
  
He walked out of the interview room with his head held high but a heavy heart.  
  
Elliot and Olivia went back to their desks and found that Fin and Munch has returned from their visit to the club.  
  
"Did you find anything?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Not much in the way of proof of anything illegal at the club, but we found a guy there, Pasek Ermler, that definitely has a thing for Dede Rayner," Munch answered.  
  
"I wonder if that's the same guy Mr. Newhouse was talking about," Olivia said to Elliot.  
  
"Could be. Definitely couldn't hurt to find out."  
  
"Guess that means a visit to your buddy Kevin at Aisle Be There. He'll be happy to help you, Elliot," she teased.  
  
Elliot just rolled his eyes at her before grabbing the keys to the sedan. 


	9. Chapter 9

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (9/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 9  
  
ST. ANDREWS AVELLINO CHURCH  
  
FLUSHING, NEW YORK  
  
JUNE 4  
  
Elliot and Maureen walked into the parish offices and were greeted warmly by Jody Wilson, "How can I help you, Elliot?"  
  
"We need to speak to Father Brian," he replied.  
  
"He's in with another parishioner at the moment, can I help with anything until he's done?"  
  
"No, but thank you."  
  
Jody could tell by the looks on their faces that something out of the norm had happened, but she'd been working for the parish long enough to not intrude. She offered them some water and quiet.  
  
"Dad," Maureen said, "I think I'm going to go into the sanctuary for a while."  
  
"You want company?" he asked.  
  
"No, I need a few minutes alone."  
  
"Okay, I'll come find you when Father Brian's ready for us."  
  
Maureen gave Elliot a quick hug before going into through the doors into the sanctuary.  
  
Fifteen minutes later Father Brian, a man in his early 40s, walked out of his office with a female parishioner. "Thank you for everything," the woman said. "I'll try this at home. Hopefully Harold won't be too upset I came to you for help."  
  
"I'm sure he'll understand when you tell him how worried you were. Take care," Father Brian said.  
  
"Elliot. It's nice to see you other than a Sunday morning. What I can do for you?"  
  
"I'm afraid I have some bad news," Elliot said.  
  
"Please come into my office," he said.  
  
"Maureen's in the church praying. Can we get her first?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Certainly."   
  
The two men walked companionably into the sanctuary and found Maureen lighting candles.  
  
"Honey?"  
  
Maureen turned around at her father's voice and stood up, wiping the tears from her face. "Sorry."  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry about. Go ahead and cry," Elliot offered. "I have a dry shirt and probably a box of tissue in the car."  
  
Maureen sniffled and gave a little laugh before turning to the priest. "Father Brian, hi."  
  
"Hello. Shall we go into my office?" he asked Elliot.  
  
"Can we stay here instead?" Maureen asked. "It's peaceful and Mom loved it here."  
  
Father Brian looked at Elliot and when he saw the nod, agreed to stay. "Let's sit over here," he said, directing them to one of the side pews.  
  
"Father Brian, Kathy was killed last night," Elliot said matter-of-factly. "We need to make arrangements for services and a funeral."  
  
"I'm so sorry, Elliot, Maureen," Father Brian said. "Was it an accident?"  
  
"Her office was bombed. Unfortunately she was still inside." Elliot's voice betrayed no emotion. He was definitely in cop mode right now.  
  
"Oh! I'm so sorry. I'd heard about it on the morning news but didn't catch where it happened or any of the names involved. My condolences to you and your family," he said, feeling inadequate to this particular job. It was hard enough to console the families when a death was expected, it was much worse in circumstances like these.  
  
"Kathy and I had talked often about what kind of services I'd want if I were to be killed in the line of duty, but we never really talked about to do if anything happened to her," Elliot said. "I want something simple and beautiful. Kathy deserves that."  
  
"Mom wanted a service open to family and friends. She didn't want an open casket viewing though, she said it only gives people bad dreams afterward," Maureen stated.  
  
"You and Mom talked about this?" Elliot asked, a little surprised.  
  
"Yeah," Maureen said sheepishly. "After my friend's grandmother passed away I asked Mom what would happen if either of you were to die. We talked about it a couple of times after that too. I wrote a lot of it down, just in case."  
  
"And you didn't tell me?"  
  
"Why, no one expected Mom to die. We were more worried about you than her," Maureen stated. "Guess we should have worried about both of you." Tears started falling down her face again.   
  
Elliot reached over and pulled Maureen against his side. "I love you, Maureen," he said, kissing her forehead. "So, you want to tell the Father what Mom wanted for her services?"  
  
Maureen sniffed back her tears and pulling a list from her purse said, "Mom wanted a simple service at the gravesite. Nothing too fancy and not too long. She said that being outside at a cemetary for too long was torture to the kids that had to attend. She'd have wanted them to be allowed to play and laugh, not wallow in the tears of loss. She also wanted only a few flower arrangements at the services, the rest should be plants that can be transplanted to grow in someone's yard to remember her by."  
  
Elliot sat in amazement at the detail that rolled from Maureen's list. Things he never knew his wife had thought about, let alone actually planned. They sat with the priest for over an hour planning the services and funeral. Luckily, through a policeman's association, Elliot had purchased adjoining plots in a nearby cemetary, so they didn't have to worry about that part of it.   
  
When they concluded their discussion about Kathy's funeral, Father Brian reiterated an earlier comment, "If there's anything I can do for you or your family, please give me a call. If you need an ear or shoulder. If you just want a quiet place to come to escape the chaos. Whatever. I'm here for you."  
  
"Thank you, Father," Elliot said. "We appreciate everything you've done so far. We still need to go to the funeral home to pick out a casket and make arrangements to have Kathy's remains picked up. I'll let the kids know that they can come over if they need to talk, though."  
  
"You take care, Elliot. I know with your job you're used to dealing with things of this nature, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with when it's this close to home. If you need to talk, please call," Father Brian said.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Thank you, Father Brian," Maureen said, standing up. "We appreciate your help."   
  
Father Brian pulled the young woman in for a quick hug. "Call if you need anything. The ladies auxiliary will probably hear about this soon enough. If they stampede your house too soon or too often, let me know and I'll pull them back. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," Maureen agreed with a small smile.  
  
Elliot held Maureen's hand as they walked back to the car. "I'm so proud of you," he said. "The way you took charge in there makes me think my little girl is gone for good."  
  
"She's been gone for a long time, Dad, you just never noticed before," she said, squeezing his hand. "But that does't mean I don't need you, you know."  
  
"That's good to hear," Elliot responded. "I need you too."  
  
They got into the car and continued with the day's itinerary.  
  
While they were driving to the funeral home, Elliot decided to call Olivia at the station house to see how she and the kids were faring.   
  
  
  
"Benson."  
  
"Hey, how're the kids?" he asked.  
  
"Kathleen's with Munch, Lizzie's with Fin and Dickie's been helping me get your filing done, since you never do it."  
  
Elliot ignored the gentle jab at his paperwork ethic and asked, "Do I want to know what the girls are doing with Munch and Fin?"  
  
"Probably not," Olivia said with a small laugh. "Kathleen's debating politics with Munch. Last I heard they were arguing over the veracity of legalizing drugs."  
  
"You're joking."  
  
"No."  
  
"What about Lizzie?"  
  
"She's just sitting with Fin. He's working and she's sitting at the side of his desk watching."  
  
"She okay?"  
  
"I think so," Olivia commented. "At least as okay as she can be. Don't worry about them, the guys and I will take care of them until you return. How are you and Maureen?"  
  
"Okay. I gotta tell you I'm damn proud of my eldest. She really took charge of the arrangements with Father Brian." Elliot looked over at Maureen and gave her a prideful smile. "I don't know what I'd do without her."  
  
"That's great. I'm glad she's with you."  
  
"We've arrived at the funeral home, so I gotta go. Tell my kids I'll see them in a while."  
  
"No prob. See you later."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
Olivia looked at Elliot's kids and reflected with some pride that they were doing very well considering the circumstances. Kathleen was happy debating various topics with Munch and making him a little crazy with her take on why things should be the way she wanted. Dickie was pretty much glued to her side, but she wasn't complaining, he was a good kid who needed a little extra attention. She was a little worried about Lizzie, but since she wasn't crying or carrying on, she didn't want to start something by asking how the girl was doing. She figured if Lizzie needed something, she'd let Livia know.  
  
She walked over to Fin and Munch's double desk and said, "Kids, your dad just called. He'll be about another hour or so."  
  
"Thanks," Kathleen said. Turning to Munch she said, "John, your position on this is a little strange for a cop, don't you think?"  
  
"Remember who he was," Fin said from across the desk.  
  
"Huh?"   
  
"Ex-hippie, drug addict."  
  
"Really? Tell me more," Kathleen said, leaning over the desk.  
  
"Let's not," said Olivia, shooting a look at Fin for opening a can of worms.   
  
"You're no fun, Olivia," Kathleen said with a pout.  
  
"I'm lots of fun, just not about this," she answered. Looking at Munch she said, "Find another topic before Elliot finds a way to castrate you without benefit of anesthesia."  
  
Munch gave Olivia a pained looked and said to Kathleen, "What do you think about digital cameras?"  
  
Kathleen rolled her eyes at the adults and said, "I think I'm going to get something to drink. Anyone want anything?" When no one responded in the affirmative, she walked out of the squad room looking for a soft drink and a little alone time.  
  
Olivia turned to Munch and said, "You should know better."  
  
"Hey, not my fault, she picked the topic, I just went along for the ride."  
  
"Like you couldn't have changed the subject." She touched Lizzie on the shoulder, "How you doing, honey?"  
  
"I'm okay," she replied. "Just not feeling chatty."  
  
"That's okay. I can understand the feeling."  
  
Olivia went back over to her desk and the piles of files Dickie was working on. "Do you want some lunch?" she asked.   
  
"Nah, I'm okay," he answered. Holding up a file he asked, "Do you know where this one should go?"  
  
"That goes in the Captain's office. I'll take it over." Olivia took the proferred file from Dickie and went into Cragen's office. "Sir, I believe this is yours."  
  
"Huh?" Cragen looked up a little startled by the intrusion.   
  
"The file, I think this is yours."  
  
"Oh, thanks. Just put it over there," he said, indicating the credenza at the side of the room.  
  
"Any word yet?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Nothing. Fin and Munch didn't get anything out of the guy they brought in. His high-priced lawyer showed up twenty minutes after he called and because we had no proof of any wrong-doing, we had to let him go."  
  
"Even though he'd said something about a dead woman?"   
  
"Yeah, we have no body and he said he was just pulling Fin and Munch's legs. We didn't have anything to hold him on," Cragen said with disgust. "We'll keep a team watching him just in case."  
  
"Great," Olivia sighed. "Anyway, I've got Dickie helping me with Elliot's filing and we're almost to the bottom. If you have anything you need done …"  
  
"I try to keep my paperwork off my desk," Cragen said with a smile. "But thanks for the offer." Cragen stood up suddenly, "What the …?"  
  
"What?" Olivia said, spinning around. Seeing Lizzie wrapped in Fin's arm, she sprinted out of the office with Cragen fast on her heels.  
  
"Lizzie?" she asked, reaching out to touch the girl.   
  
Fin stopped her with a shake of his head. He stroked Lizzie's hair and whispered nonsense to her. He motioned to the others to go away while he dealt with the girl. They complied, but kept half an eye out just in case he needed help.  
  
Dickie pulled his chair closer to Olivia's when she sat down. She put her arm around and held him close. Kathleen walked in to see her siblings wrapped in the arms of her father's co-workers. Not knowing what to make of this she walked over to Munch at the coffee area and asked, "Anything I need to know here?"  
  
"Just a tense emotional moment," he answered.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Do you need a hug too?" he asked.  
  
"Um, no, I'm fine," she responded. "But thanks for the offer."  
  
"Anytime," he said with a deliberate leer. She obliged him with a small laugh. 


	10. Chapter 10

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (10/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 10  
  
AISLE BE THERE  
  
MAY 6  
  
Elliot held the door for Olivia before following her inside. Kevin looked up from his desk and smiled broadly at seeing the detectives. "Elliot! Olivia! It's nice to see you again," he said coming around the desk. "What can I do for you today?"  
  
"We wanted to ask you a question about one of the men that helps out with the weddings," Elliot said.   
  
"We have a number of men that help out. What does he look like?" Kevin asked.  
  
"Large man with dark hair. He may be involved with Dede."  
  
"Dede's not involved with anyone, but I think I know who you're talking about," Kevin said, leaning up against the desk. "There's a big man that always following Dede with his eyes. He works for Kelsii, his name is Pasek something. Lemme check on that." Kevin went to a file cabinet and pulled a file out. He quickly scanned it and came back to the detectives. "Ermelr, Pasek Ermler. He helps Dede out on some of the bigger events."  
  
"I thought he worked for Hatagov?" Elliot asked.  
  
"He does, that's why he helps out. Dede needed someone that could deal with the laborers and not scare away the clients. Pasek does that."  
  
"Is there anything going on between them?" Olivia asked.  
  
Kevin closed the file and thought for a moment. "Not that I know of. Dede had a rough time in the love department a while ago. Her fiance ran away with a woman he met on the Internet the day before their wedding. She's kinda sworn off men since then. Doesn't stop Pasek from hanging around sniffin' like a junkyard dog, though," he finished off.  
  
"He's hung up on her?" Olivia countered.  
  
"Yeah, but not in an overt way. At least not anymore."  
  
"What do you mean 'anymore'?"  
  
"A couple years ago he asked her out, she turned him down. He asked her again a few months later, she said she had no intention of ever getting involved again. So he stopped asking. But I don't think he stopped hoping, if you know what I mean," Kevin answered. "I think that's one of the reasons he helps out as much as he does."  
  
"Does he ever socialize with Dede?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Not socially, but they do have lunch at least once a month to go over some work."   
  
"Would he have contact with the women using your services?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Certainly. If they got married to any of our wealthier men, Pasek would definitely be there to deal with the laborers."  
  
"Thanks, Kevin," Elliot said. "You've been a great help."  
  
"Anytime, Detective Stabler," Kevin said walking them to the door.  
  
Walking to the car, Olivia said, "That was interesting. I wonder if Ermler's killing these women because they have what Dede wanted and couldn't get."  
  
"It's possible. I wonder why these particular women though. There must be hundreds that have gone through Aisle Be There. What makes these women stand out?"  
  
"I think we need to find out if the woman her fiance ran off with was Russian."  
  
"Good idea."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
"Thanks," Olivia said into the phone. Turning to Elliot she said, "I found out that about two and a half years ago Dede Rayner and Jonathan Weaver applied for a marriage license. The wedding was to take place in June. I also found out that Jonathan Weaver and Galina Petrovsky married two months after the aborted wedding with Dede. The killings started about a year after that wedding, about the time the Weavers moved out of New York."  
  
"Was Pasek working with Dede at the time?" Elliot asked.  
  
"We'd have to ask Kevin for certain, but the timing's right. He said that Ermler asked Dede out a couple years ago and she turned him down."  
  
"What do you think, Doc?"  
  
Dr. Huang stood looking at the board with all the victims on it. "It makes sense. His lady love was scorned. He's trying to help right the wrongs done to her by eliminating anyone that reminded her of her failure as a woman."  
  
"Would the rape and torture fit in too?" Cragen asked.  
  
"Sure. Dede was wounded by the man she loved. What better way to make the 'thief' feel the pain of her theft than by the ultimate violence possible to a woman?" Huang answered.   
  
"Is there any indication why these particular women out of the hundreds that have used Aisle Be There?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Could be as simple as their proximity to the office or because they still have some contact with Dede Rayner. Do we know if any of the women were friends with her?"  
  
"We know that Lizette Cullen had lunch with her the day she disappeared. Don't know about any of the other ladies, but I'm sure if Dede had it on her calendar, either she or Kevin would be able to tell us," Olivia answered.  
  
"I don't think you should let Dede know you're looking to her for a connection to the other victims. She might knowingly or unknowingly let it slip to Ermler that you're investigating him," Huang said.  
  
"Ok, we go back to talk to Kevin," she said.  
  
DELI TO GO  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
"Thanks for meeting me here," Kevin said to Elliot. "I didn't want Dede to know about our chats."  
  
"No problem," he replied. "We appreciate your help. Whaddya have?"  
  
"I printed out her calendar for the months you requested and circled any time she met with Pasek or saw any of the ladies."  
  
"You remembered all their names?" Olivia asked a little surprised.  
  
"Sure. It's my business to remember everything that comes across my desk," Kevin replied. "It also helps that I have a photographic memory for names."   
  
Olivia took a look at the calendar pages in front of her. Comparing her notes on the victims, she noticed a disturbing pattern. "Elliot," she said, "I think we need to take this back to Cragen and Huang."  
  
"So soon?" Kevin asked with a small whine. "You just got here."  
  
"Sorry, Kevin," Olivia replied. "Duty calls. I'm sure we'll be in touch if we need anything more from you." Olivia gathered her papers together and nodded her head to Kevin. "Thanks again."  
  
"Anytime," he answered watching the two detectives walk through the deli's door.  
  
In the car driving back to the station, Elliot asked, "What'd you find?"  
  
"That Huang may be right."  
  
"And this surprises you?"  
  
"No, just acknowledging brillance when I see it," she replied. "I was thinking maybe the perp wasn't male as things were indicating that maybe Dede was responsible. But these dates make me believe Ermler is the rapist/murderer."  
  
"Why'd you think Dede was the killer?"  
  
"Because of motive and access to all the victims."  
  
"Why didn't you say anything?" he asked, incredulous that his vocal partner had remained silent so long.   
  
"Because there aren't that many cases of female serial killers. And Huang's profile put the perp as white male between twenty and thirty. Ermler's a little older than that, but the unrequited love makes it all fit," she replied matter-of-factly.  
  
"Oh," was all Elliot could say. His partner wasn't usually so reluctant to speak her mind. He wondered what was going on. They had arrived back at the station by the time he thought of broaching that subject, so he let it go for now.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
"Olivia," Cragen said with some enthusiasm, "you're right, these dates do coincide with all the murders."  
  
Dr. Huang was reviewing the new entries on the big board and said, "I agree. This is more than coincidental. Dede had lunch or a friendly meeting with each of the victims within a week of their disappearances. She also had a one-on-one meeting with Ermler within that same week."  
  
Cragen looked to Elliot and Olivia, "Now might be a good time to bring Ms. Rayner in for questioning."  
  
A few hours later Dede Rayner arrived at the station. "I'm looking for Detective Stabler," she said to the nearest cop.   
  
"Elliot," the cop said, "company."  
  
Elliot came from around the corner with an open bag of potato chips in his hands. "Ms. Rayner, thank you for coming down. If you'll come with me," he said indicating the direction of the interview room. Once inside the room, he said, "I believe you remember my partner Detective Benson."  
  
"Yes, thank you," Dede replied. "Nice to see you again."  
  
Olivia dove right into the questioning with, "We're investigating the recent deaths of a couple of your former clients. We're hoping you can answer some questions."  
  
"A couple? I knew about Lizette. There was another?"  
  
"Yes, Sasha Newhouse was found murdered two weeks ago."  
  
"Oh, no!" she cried. "What could I possibly know that could help?"  
  
"We know you met Lizette Cullen for lunch the day she disappeared. We were wondering if you had also seen Mrs. Newhouse anytime before she disappeared," Olivia questioned.  
  
"Two weeks ago you said?" Dede pulled out her PDA and tapped the stylus through her calendar. "Yes, I met her for drinks on the evening of April 21."  
  
"What did you talk about?"  
  
"This and that. Her husband was in Thailand and she was leaving for Rome on that Friday."  
  
"How did she seem?"  
  
"Happy. Very happy," Dede replied. "She said she felt like all her dreams were coming true."  
  
"What about Lizette?" Elliot asked.  
  
Dede was a little thrown by the sudden shift, but answered. "She was happy too. Just found out that she was pregnant. She was on cloud nine."  
  
"You *knew* she was pregnant?" Elliot exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us this before?"  
  
"I'm sorry. It must have slipped my mind. You did, after all, catch me in the middle of something else," she countered reasonably.  
  
"Do you know a Pasek Ermler?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Of course. He works for Kelsii Hatagov, my boss. He helps out on some of our larger weddings."  
  
"Did you see him at anytime after you saw Lizette or Sasha?"  
  
A few ticks of the stylus later she answered, "Yes. I met with Pasek later that same afternoon to discuss the Johanson wedding. And Pasek came by on the day after I had drinks with Sasha. You don't think he's involved, do you?"  
  
"How long have you known Mr. Ermler?" Elliot asked.  
  
"About two and a half, maybe three years. I met him after Kelsii offered to help me open Aisle Be There."  
  
"What does he know about your personal history?" Olivia questioned.  
  
"What do you mean?" Dede asked a little defensively.  
  
"Does he know about your aborted wedding?"  
  
"Wha', what do you know about that?" she asked in a tight voice.  
  
"We heard about your fiancé leaving you for an Internet romance. We also know they got married a few months later."  
  
"What does that have to do with anything?" she cried.  
  
"Does Mr. Ermler know about it?"  
  
"Some," was the tight reply.  
  
"How much?" Olivia pushed.  
  
"He kept asking me out. I got tired of trying to come up with excuses so I told him I'd never get involved with another man after what Jonathan and that bitch he ran off with did to me!" Dede's voice was getting excited and a little loud, but still under control.  
  
"Did you talk to him about these women too?" Elliot asked, showing Dede pictures of the other four victims.  
  
"Oh my!" Dede exclaimed, putting a hand to her mouth in horror. "All of these women are dead?"  
  
"Raped, tortured and killed," Olivia replied.  
  
"And you think Pasek had something to do with it?"  
  
"Perhaps, that's why we need to know if you talked to him about these women."  
  
Dede's shouldered slumped and she rested her head on her hand. "I can't believe he'd be responsible for something like this," she said quietly. "I wouldn't call us friends, but we have been friendly over the years. He's been a great help to us and a good sounding board for me."  
  
She straightened her shoulders and looked Olivia in the eye. "I know I talked to Pasek about Lizette and Sasha and how happy they were. I don't know about the others, but I wouldn't be surprised if I did."  
  
"What did you talk to him about? Specifically."  
  
"That I was jealous of their happiness. That it should have been me," she answered with a small voice. "You think Pasek's doing this out of revenge or devotion to me, don't you?"  
  
"The thought did cross our minds," Elliot said.  
  
Behind the observation glass Cragen, Fin and Munch watched.  
  
"Think we need to pick him up, Cap?" Fin asked.  
  
"We don't have enough to pick him up yet, but I wouldn't say no to you two watching him," Cragen replied.  
  
"We're on it," Fin responded. "Come on, Munch, let's go find us a bad guy."  
  
Inside the interview room, Elliot and Olivia continued to probe Dede's memory for anything that could be helpful in their investigation. They finally allowed her to leave with the promise that if she remembered anything else, she'd call them.  
  
Watching her leave, Cragen told them, "Munch and Fin are out sitting on Ermler. Maybe we'll get lucky and find him doing something that we can bring him in for."  
  
"We can only hope," Elliot said. 


	11. Chapter 11

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (11/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
  
  
Chapter 11  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
JUNE 4  
  
Elliot arrived at the station a couple of hours after he spoke to Olivia. He and Maureen walked in and saw that Lizzie was sitting quietly by Fin's side holding his hand while he worked. Dickie was helping Cragen sort through some papers piled on the file cabinet just outside his office and Kathleen was happily debating Munch about the nutritional value of Cheetos, and it looked like the Cheetos were winning.  
  
Elliot smiled to see that his kids were in good hands and faring pretty well, all things considered. Maureen made a small noise as she stepping into the room and everyone turned to see who was here.  
  
"Hi, Maureen," Olivia said, looking up from her desk. "Elliot."  
  
"Hi, everyone," Maureen answered.   
  
"Daddy!" Lizzie jumped up from her chair and ran into her father's arm. "I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too, pumpkin. How was your day?"  
  
"Okay," she replied, lower lip beginning to tremble. Elliot pulled her close and stroked the back of her head.   
  
He looked to Olivia for the truth and she drew her finger down her face indicating tears. He nodded in understanding and asked silently how it went. Olivia surreptiously pointed to Fin and then hugged herself. Elliot's eyebrows went up and he turned to Fin to nod his thanks. Fin nodded in return to say 'you're welcome'.  
  
Dickie stood off to one side not sure if he could join the hug or if he was too macho to do so. Olivia put out her hand to him and he willingly put his own in it. "I think it's time you took these guys home," she said to Elliot. "I think we've tormented them enough today and they could probably use a hot, nourishing meal, instead of the fast food we've been feeding them." She smiled indulgently at the kids.  
  
Kathleen faced her father and said, "Besides, I think the twins could use a nap. Dickie almost fell asleep in the file cabinet a little bit ago."  
  
"Did not!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Did so," she replied. "Just look at the tiny paper cuts on your face."  
  
Dickie put his hands to his face and looked to Olivia for verification. She shook her head no, but said, "It might not be a bad idea to lay down when you get home. You've been very busy today helping Captain Cragen and I out. I know that *I* would want a nap after that."  
  
Dickie gave her a sideways hug and stepped up to his father. "Let's go then."  
  
Elliot resisted the urge to laugh at the sudden shift from little boy to commander in his son. He just turned to the girls and said, "You heard Dickie, let's go home."  
  
"Thanks, Olivia," he said. "I'll call you later."  
  
"You get some sleep too," she admonished. "You've been running on empty longer than the kids."  
  
"I think I will," he replied. "Thanks, guys," he said to the room before leaving with the kids in tow.  
  
After Elliot left, Cragen turned to Olivia and said, "I think you should go home too."  
  
"No, I'm fine, Captain," she answered. "Really."  
  
"I know you are, I just want you to stay that way. Get some sleep and come back in the morning."  
  
"Captain," she started to whine.  
  
"Olivia, do I have to make it an order?"  
  
"No, sir."  
  
"Good. See you in the morning."  
  
Several hours later Fin and Munch stepped into Cragen's office. "Cap," Fin started, "got a minute?"  
  
"Sure, what's up?"  
  
"We thought of something that might help us get back inside White Nights."  
  
"What would that be?"  
  
"We heard from Vice that a few high-priced hookers may have been working out of the club in addition to the S&M stuff we found earlier. Thought that might be enough to get a warrant."  
  
"But that's Vice's jurisdiction, we have no authority in that area," Cragen answered, liking the idea, but not seeing how to make it fly with the brass. "When we closed the books on the serial killer, there wasn't any reason to go beyond that S&M room, so we have no reason to go back now." He paused, thinking to himself. "Can you think of any reason that Sex Crimes would need to go back in there and investigate the club and its owner?"  
  
"Unfortunately no," Munch replied.  
  
"When you come up with something, let me know and we'll see if we can make it fly."  
  
"Ok, Cap," Fin answered for the pair.  
  
STABLER RESIDENCE  
  
QUEENS  
  
JUNE 6  
  
"That was a nice service, Elliot," Cragen said, holding a glass of tonic water in his hand. "Kathy would have loved it."  
  
"Yeah, Maureen did a great job. She's an amazing kid, um, young woman," he corrected looking at his eldest daughter. "Her mother would be so proud of how she's held us all together as well as putting this on. I never knew my daughter was so detail oriented."  
  
"She takes after you, Elliot. You should be proud of how you raised her."  
  
"Kathy did most of the work. I'm just beginning to realize how wonderful my kids are and how much I've missed out on over the years."  
  
"You didn't miss out. You were right here. You were also out there protecting them from the things that go bump in the night. Don't ever feel guilty about that."  
  
"I try not too," Elliot said, taking a sip of beer. "I should probably see to my other guests."  
  
Elliot walked around the room, winding between the unending hordes of bodies that packed his not-so-big house. He saw uniforms and other people from the precinct. He saw neighbors and friends. He saw family and loved ones. He saw his kids making small talk and trying not to cry.   
  
At least he saw most of his kids. Dickie, however, seemed to be missing. Then again, so was Olivia. Figuring that the two were together somewhere, he went in search of them. Voices from the kitchen drew him in.  
  
"Olivia, would you do something for me?" Dickie asked, looking a little sad and impish at the same time.  
  
"Sure, Dickie. What do you need?"  
  
Dickie pulled Elliot's handcuffs from behind his back and said, "Please put these on Mrs. Solvinsky. She won't stop pinching my cheeks!"  
  
Olivia muttered, "Umm," as Dickie continued, "I'm going to have bruises for a week."  
  
Olivia bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. She took the handcuffs from Dickie saying, "Let me see if I can do something just short of cuffing her."  
  
"While you're at it, can you tell Mrs. Doofus to stop messing up my hair?"  
  
"That's Mrs. Dufus and she's trying to be nice."  
  
"But I'm going to go bald!"  
  
"Dickie …"  
  
"She's with that Ladies Aux, auxil, Audio thing. They ALL want to pinch our cheeks and ruffle our hair. One keeps calling me a 'sweet little lost lamb'. I'm not lost! I'm right here!"  
  
"It's Ladies Auxillary and they're just trying to help."  
  
"Whatever," he conceded. "Will you cuff them pul-leeze?" he wheedled, holding out the cuffs he'd snatched from the counter where she had placed them.  
  
"Um, well," she said, thinking fast, "why I don't go talk to them before we resort to arresting her."  
  
Dickie's face fell, his carefully thought out revenge on the blue-haired lady was falling apart before his eyes. He pouted to Olivia, "If that's what YOU think is best." He made a big show about shuffling out of the kitchen.  
  
Olivia turned to put the handcuffs in the junk drawer by the sink and caught Elliot standing in the doorway. "You think this is funny?" she asked.  
  
"Definitely my son," he responded with a laugh.  
  
"I bet you were just as bad as he is when you were young."  
  
Elliot smiled, took a hit off the beer bottle and turned on his heel. Olivia didn't even get a chance to stick her tongue out at him before he left the kitchen.  
  
"Brat," she muttered to herself. 


	12. Chapter 12

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (12/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 12  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
MAY 10  
  
"I wish something would have come from tailing Ermler," Munch said to Elliot. "I would have loved to have nailed him."  
  
"Me too," he replied. "Too bad Cragen had to pull us off that detail. Something about too much time spent on doing too little."  
  
"But sometimes that's how things get found," Munch complained.  
  
"We know that, but the bean counters at Police Plaza don't always agree," Elliot sighed. "Maybe we'll catch a break in the next couple of days."  
  
"Yeah, maybe."  
  
Olivia walked in with food bags filled with burgers and fries for lunch. "Here," she said handing a bag to each of the guys. "I got extra fries for you this time, Elliot."  
  
"Thanks," he said, ripping the bag open and pouring ketchup on the corner. "Any more Russian ladies go missing lately?" he asked.  
  
"No, which is a good thing," she replied. "I just wish we had some movement on this case. I'm tired of not being able to move forward."  
  
"I even called Kevin to see if Ermler had met with Dede. He said no."  
  
"Too bad. Guess we'll just have to work on some of these other cases," Olivia said, indicating the pile of work in the in-box.  
  
Over the next week or so the squad got no new leads on the bride killer, so they spent the time working on other cases and talking to other victims and suspects. The big board with all the details stayed up, but it was now pushed to the side of the room, instead of holding court at the middle of the back wall. The days flew by as they worked on and sometimes solved these other cases.   
  
Periodic trips to the courthouse were necessary to take care of hearings or trials. It was at one of these outings that Elliot and Olivia received word of another missing Russian woman. They rushed back to the precinct to get the details.  
  
Cragen motioned for them to come into his office when they returned. "We got word from Brooklyn's Missing Persons' unit that a 31-year-old Russian woman in the country only three months was reported missing by her fiancé."  
  
"Do they think she's a possible victim of Ermler?" Olivia asked.  
  
"That's what you need to find out."  
  
AISLE BE THERE  
  
MAY 19  
  
A new face was sitting at the reception desk when Elliot and Olivia walked into the office.  
  
"Where's Kevin?" Olivia asked.  
  
"He no longer works here," the young lady answered.  
  
"Since when?"  
  
"I've been here since Monday," she replied. "Are you friends of Kevin's?"  
  
"We're detectives and need to speak to Ms. Rayner," Olivia answered, pulling out her badge.  
  
"I'm sorry, she's not here right now. Can I have her call you when she does?"  
  
"Do you know where she is?"  
  
"Out."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I'm not at liberty to discuss that," she answered with firmness. "If you have a card, I'll have Ms. Rayner call you when she returns."  
  
Olivia handed over one of her business cards and they walked out to the street.  
  
"I wonder what happened to Kevin. Did he say anything about a new job when you last spoke?" she asked.  
  
"No," Elliot answered. "Do you still have that employee list?"  
  
"Yeah, back at the office."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
Elliot got on the phone and dialed Kevin's home number. When the phone was answered, he said, "Kevin, Detective Stabler."  
  
"Hi!" he responded enthusiastically. "What a lovely surprise."  
  
"Detective Benson and I went down to the office to talk to Ms. Rayner and heard you weren't working there anymore. Everything okay?"  
  
"Sure, why wouldn't they be?" he asked.  
  
"Well, when we last spoke you didn't say anything about quitting, so we thought something might have happened."  
  
"No. I had some vacation time stored up and I needed a break from the round-the-clock work."  
  
"So nothing's wrong and you'll be back at the office soon?" he asked.  
  
"No. I'm thinking of getting into another business. I like working with the weddings, but not the people in them. Thought it might be time to try something new. Something not related to *that* business," he said.  
  
"Okay, then good luck and take care," Elliot said, preparing to hang up. Something in Kevin's next words stopped him.  
  
"Elliot, I'd really like to see you for lunch. I can recommend a great deli if you're interested."  
  
"Lunch?"  
  
"Yeah, a friend told me about a great deli with food *to go*. We could meet there and then take our food to the park for a picnic without too many eyes prying into our love life. Care to join me?" Kevin's voice was getting a little anxious with each passing word.  
  
"Sure, that would be nice. I'd love get together with you," Elliot said, tapping his desk to get Olivia's attention. "I think I know the deli you're talking about. It's over on 95th, right?"  
  
"That's it," Kevin sighed into the phone. "One hour?"  
  
"I'll be there. See you soon, Kev." Elliot hung up the phone.  
  
"What was that about?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I think Kevin's phones are bugged. He wants to meet at the deli we met him at before. He wants to talk in the park were there will be less people able to watch us."  
  
"But the deli's not on 95th, it's in the Village."  
  
"I know that, but I wanted to mislead whoever's listening in."  
  
"Now I'm really curious about what's going on," Olivia said.  
  
"Me too. Me too."  
  
DELI TO GO  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
MAY 19 – Noon  
  
"Hi, Elliot," Kevin said seeing the detective walk into the restaurant. "I'm glad you could meet me." Kevin stood and gave Elliot a quick hug. Elliot returned the hug with more fervor than he felt thinking anything less than enthusiasm might look suspicious to anyone lurking in the shadows.  
  
"Glad you called," he said. "I wanted to see you too."  
  
"Let's get some sandwiches and head to the park. I know a nice secluded place to, um, chat," Kevin said with a secretive grin.  
  
They stood in line, ordered food and wandered out to a secluded area of the park down the street. Olivia kept watch of their every movement from the roof of a building between the deli and the park. She used her phone to let Elliot know there was no unusual activity following them.  
  
"Thanks, Liv," he said, disconnecting the call. "Ok, Kevin, the coast is clear, what's going on?"  
  
"Sorry for the subterfuge, Detective," Kevin said, "but when they canned me shortly after you came by the office, I was told if I wanted to keep my severance and benefits, I couldn't tell anyone what happened."  
  
"What did happen?"  
  
"Mr. Hatagov found out that I'd spoken to you and Detective Benson about Pasek. He asked if I had also handed over company records to you guys without express permission from Dede. I told him I only gave you guys what you were looking for to help with the murder investigation. He was NOT a happy man and told me I was fired." Kevin took a bite of his sandwich and then continued. "He told me they'd give me my vacation pay and a small severance if I kept my mouth shut and didn't make waves. I took the money because I already live paycheck to paycheck." He stopped for a sip of his soft drink. "Then I got to thinking about what he was really doing and what he trying to get me to stop doing. He knows that Pasek's doing something illegal, why else would he fire me for helping you guys?"  
  
Elliot jotted down some notes in between eating his lunch. "Why didn't you just call us?"  
  
"I would have, but I started getting the feeling that I was being followed. There's this guy that works for Pasek. I don't know his name, but I've seen him around. Big muscled guy with hands like hams. Every time I'd walk down the street or go to the corner store, he'd be there. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I didn't want to risk my life over this." Kevin paused looking at Elliot sheepishly, "I know that's chickenish, given that all those women are dead, but I didn't want to join them."  
  
"That's okay, Kevin," Elliot said. "I understand completely."  
  
"So when you called today, I took it as a sign from God that I needed to not be scared anymore. But that didn't mean I shouldn't be healthily paranoid, right?" he asked with a small grin. "I didn't know if they were bugging my phone in addition to following me, but I figured it couldn't hurt to try and push them off in another direction."  
  
"You did good," Elliot said. "We appreciate your help. If you want it, we can give you some protection while the investigation is still going on."  
  
"I think I'll be okay," he replied. "I'm sorry for coming onto you over the phone. Well, not exactly sorry, just hoping you weren't completely offended," he added with a grin.  
  
"Well, it's not every day I get a nice young man hitting on me," Elliot replied with a grin of his own. "Just don't let it become habit," he admonished.  
  
"Deal," Kevin answered. "Oh, by the way, I had access access to Dede's calendar up until yesterday afternoon," he said with a secretive smile.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yeah, when I first went to work for her, we set up my home computer to be networked with the office system since she did work at all hours and would need me to update things from home. I printed this out for you before they remembered and disconnected me," he said, handing over several sheets of paper.  
  
Elliot looked at the proffered paperwork, wondering if he took it would it come back to bite them in the ass because Kevin was acting as an agent for the police. Shaking the thought from his head, he reached for the papers. Perusing the calendar pages he noticed Dede had a breakfast meeting with Mudri Barichev the day before. "Thank you, Kevin. This will help us a lot."   
  
Elliot pulled out his cell phone. "Liv, we got something. Find out if that missing woman's name is Mudri Barichev. I'll meet you behind the deli."  
  
"Kevin, do you need a ride somewhere?"  
  
"No, I think I'll stay here just in case someone's looking for me. That way my story will be intact."  
  
"Okay, take care," Elliot said, grabbing up his lunch remains. A few minutes later he caught up to Olivia in the sedan.   
  
"You were right. How'd you know?" she asked.  
  
"Kevin. He printed out Dede's calendar and it showed a breakfast meeting with Mudri yesterday. It stands to reason that she also met with Ermler sometime in the afternoon after Kevin's access went away," Elliot replied.  
  
"Let's get over her fiancé's apartment. We'll need every bit of information to stop Mudri from being another dead victim," Olivia said driving towards Brooklyn. On the way, Elliot filled her in about Kevin's situation and why he finally came forward.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
12:30 PM  
  
Cragen shouted out the door, "Fin! Munch! In here!"  
  
The two tromped over to find out what the boss needed. "Yeah," Munch said upon entering the office.  
  
"Mudri Barichev is definitely one of Aisle Be There's customers. She had breakfast with Ms. Rayner yesterday morning. Go find Ermler and bring him in!"  
  
"No prob, Cap'n," drolled Fin. "I'm looking forward to this."  
  
After the boys left, Cragen called Novak. "We're going to need a warrant to search Pasek Ermler's place of business and his home. We have good reason to suspect that he's got another victim. We need to get to her before she's dead too."  
  
"What evidence do you have?" she asked.  
  
"There's a direct connection between Ermler and every one of these victims. He met with Dede Rayner within hours of her meeting with the vics and within hours of that they would disappear."  
  
"I don't know if that'll be enough, I'll call the judge and see. I'll let you know as soon as I have it."  
  
"Let her know that it happened again yesterday. Maybe that'll push the right buttons."  
  
"I will," she replied.  
  
"Thanks." Cragen hung up the phone and prayed they weren't too late.  
  
WINSTON KWAN'S HOUSE  
  
BROOKLYN HEIGHTS  
  
1:15 PM  
  
"Mr. Kwan? I'm Detective Benson, this is my partner Detective Stabler. May we have a word with you?"  
  
"Oh course," he answered. "Please come in."  
  
"We may have a lead on your fiancée and need some information from you."  
  
"Anything to help," he said, holding a mug of coffee tightly in his hands. "Can I offer you anything?" he indicated to his mug.  
  
"No, but thank you," she replied. "When was the last time you saw your fiancée?"  
  
"Tuesday night. We went out for dinner and a movie. I dropped her off at her apartment around 11."  
  
"Does she live alone?" Olivia asked.  
  
"No, she has a roommate. Patricia Rostinov. I have her number here," he said, handing Olivia a slip of paper. "She's as worried about Mudri as I am. She's still not familiar with the city and hasn't quite captured the whole English language thing. It's one of the reasons I tease her about her name being 'Mud'," he said with a self-conscious laugh. "Please find her."  
  
"We'll do all we can. Do you know what her plans for the day were?" Elliot queried.  
  
"She was meeting Dede Rayner for breakfast to discuss the wedding plans. After that she was supposed to come back here to meet with a decorator about some changes we want to the place after we get married."  
  
"When's the wedding?"  
  
"In three months."  
  
"You don't live together?"  
  
"She didn't want to upset her mother back in Russia. She wanted to be a 'good girl' until her wedding day." Winston sighed, then took a stiff gulp of coffee. "I agreed because I want her to be happy with herself, me and the marriage."  
  
"How did you meet?" Olivia interjected.  
  
"Through Dede. She's a friend of a client. My friend knew I was looking for a, well, wife, and thought Dede could help. She did. Mudri had only come to New York a month before we met and that night it was like magic." He paused to look at the detectives. "I don't want to sound all romantic here, but it really was amazing. She just lit up the room and made everyone around us smile. She was having a hard time with English and what I know of Russian would fit inside my mom's old thimble, but we still managed to share some great laughs and good times. She's one of those rare people that makes everyone feel good to be around her."  
  
"Here's my card," Olivia said handing her business card over. "If you think of anything else, please call us. We'll be in touch as soon as we find anything. Don't despair. We're doing everything we can."  
  
"Thank you, Detectives," he said humbly. "Just find her."  
  
"We'll do our best." 


	13. Chapter 13

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (13/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 13  
  
PASEK ERMLER'S APARTMENT  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
2 PM  
  
Munch showed the doorman their badges and asked, "Have you seen Pasek Ermler today?"  
  
"I did this morning. Or I think I did," he responded.  
  
"You *think* you did?" Fin asked incredulous.  
  
"Well, there are a couple of guys that come in and out of here with him all the time. It could have been him or one of his guys. I wasn't really paying attention."  
  
"What time was that?" asked Munch.  
  
"Around noon."  
  
"Any idea where he was headed?"  
  
"I figured work, but then again he doesn't sit down for friendly chats much, so I could be wrong," the doorman answered sarcastically.  
  
Fin just rolled his eyes at the man and walked out the door.  
  
WHITE NIGHTS  
  
MIDTOWN MANHATTAN  
  
3 PM  
  
Fin and Munch marched in through the front door and demanded to see Pasek Ermler.  
  
"He's not here at the moment," Heather Hatagov said, coming from behind the bar. "Can I help?"  
  
"Where is he?" Fin asked.  
  
"I don't know. What's this about?" Heather was fast losing patience with these men.  
  
"We're detectives with the Special Victims Unit and we need to find Ermler now," Munch stated firmly. "Now where is he?"  
  
"Detectives? Special Victims Unit? What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.  
  
"Do you know where Ermler is?" reiterated Fin.  
  
"No, I don't. Now what's this about?" she asked as firmly as Munch.  
  
"He's under suspicion for the rape and murder of seven women. Including one that went missing yesterday."  
  
"Ermler? You must have the wrong man," she stated.  
  
"Can you provide him an alibi for yesterday and today?" Fin asked.  
  
"No. But he's taking care of some business for my husband."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I don't know. I just know that he's not been in the city since yesterday afternoon."  
  
"As alibis go, that's a pretty flimsy one," Munch said. "What business and where?"  
  
"I don't know. How many times do I have to tell you that?" Heather was getting aggitated with their insistence that she knew something she didn't. "If you have nothing else you need from me, I suggest you leave." She turned on her heel and left the bar with regal grace. Munch and Fin standing there wondering how they managed to get dismissed so well by a will o' a wisp woman.  
  
Fin got on the phone to Elliot explaining that they didn't have any idea where Ermler was. Elliot shared what little they got from Kwan. In the middle of their conversation Munch's phone rang.  
  
"Munch," he said. "Good. We'll head back over there."  
  
"What happened?" Fin asked.  
  
"We got the warrant for his apartment, but not the club."  
  
"Why not the club?"   
  
"Something about no evidence to support that any of the activity happened at the club and since Hatagov is a well-known and respected businessman, they didn't want to aggrevate him unnecessarily."  
  
Elliot heard the exchange over the open line. "Damn! Do you want us to meet you at the apartment?"  
  
"No," Fin responded. "It's closer for us to meet the guys at Ermler's and for you guys to come here."  
  
"Okay, will do."  
  
PASEK ERMLER'S APARTMENT  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
3:45 PM  
  
Fin and Munch entered the building foyer with a train of uniformed policemen behind them.  
  
"We're ba-ack," Munch said to the doorman. "We have a warrant to enter Pasek Ermler's apartment. Key please."  
  
"I can't do that, but I can go with you and let you in," replied the doorman as he came around the desk and pushed the elevator button.  
  
A few minutes later the entourage was standing outside the apartment door waiting for a reply to Munch's, "Police, open the door!" When no one responded, they had the doorman use his key and told him to go back downstairs.  
  
"You," Fin said to two cops, "take the bedroom over there, we'll head over this way."  
  
They searched for almost an hour without finding much. A calendar and phone book yielded nothing of interest, but they bagged it anyway. It wasn't until one of the uniforms dropped a book that anything else was found.  
  
"What's that?" Fin asked seeing a piece of paper float across the room.  
  
"Dunno," said the cop. She bent over to pick it up and looked at what it said. "This is weird, it says: 'D@WN7'. Any idea what that means?"  
  
Munch took the note while Fin picked up the book it had dropped from.   
  
"It feel from what looks like his diary," Fin said. "Do you know what part of the book it fell from?" he asked the cop.  
  
"Sorry no. I was trying to put them back up on the shelf when that one dropped."  
  
"Well, it doesn't look like an Internet address, no dot com," Munch said. "Could the at symbol be a bad O and the 7 just be bad penmenship?"  
  
"Down?" Fin said. "What fool would write that into a diary?" Fin continued to flip through the diary.  
  
Munch continued to mumble to himself. "D at WN. D at W … D at White Nights! It's gotta be White Nights."  
  
"And the D?" Fin asked.  
  
"Don't know, but maybe it's enough to get Elliot and Livia into the club."  
  
"Got it!" Fin exclaimed. "That fits right in here," he pointed to a torn sheaf of paper in the book. "That's today's date."  
  
"Then the 7 has to be a time. This should be enough now."  
  
"Guess your big brain hasn't stopped working," Fin said to Munch, "yet."  
  
WHITE NIGHTS  
  
GREENWICH VILLAGE  
  
5 PM  
  
Elliot hung up his phone and turned to Olivia. "Novak said that exigent circumstances will allow us to go inside even without the warrant."  
  
"Good, let's go. Fin and Munch should be here soon, right?"  
  
"Yep. In fact," he said looking in the mirror, "they're pulling up now."  
  
They all marched into the club with guns drawn. They encountered employees preparing for the nightly events ahead.  
  
"Can I help you?" the bartender asked.  
  
"Police," Elliot said. "Where's Ermler?"  
  
"Not here," the man replied.  
  
Elliot indicated to Fin and Munch to head towards the back of the club and that he and Olivia would take the upstairs. Some of the uniformed cops that arrived with Fin and Munch detained the other employees so no one would get in the way, flee or try to contact Ermler.  
  
Fin and Munch headed into the kitchen area along with two of the other officers. They questioned everyone they saw about Ermler's whereabouts. They got the same answer from everyone, "He's not here."  
  
"This is getting old," Fin said to the head chef. "We know he's here or will be shortly. Where's his office?"  
  
"In, in the back," the man stuttered. "But he's not there."  
  
"If he wanted to be alone and not disturb anyone where would he go?" Fin said, getting in the man's face.  
  
"Basement?" he answered hoping the detective would just go away.  
  
Fin opened the door to the basement and flicked on the lights. "You two stay here," he said to the officers. "We'll call for help if we find anything."  
  
Upstairs Elliot and Olivia peeked their heads arounds corners and turned on lights as they went. So far they'd only seen a few employees and no sign of Ermler.  
  
"Is Pasek Ermler here?" Olivia asked a shaken up waitress.  
  
"No," she answered. "I haven't seen him for a couple of days."  
  
"Is there any place here that would be quiet and private?"   
  
The shifting of the woman's eyes towards the back of the loft area before she said, "No," seemed to indicate otherwise.  
  
"You watch her, we're going back there," Olivia said to the officer with them.  
  
Elliot and Olivia held their guns in front of themselves as they followed the wall into the back area. The further in they got, the lower the light and the darker the wall color. Olivia leaned up against it and felt it give.  
  
"Elliot," she whispered, "the walls are padded. Nice sound-proofing." Elliot nodded in understanding and crept further down the hall.  
  
The first door they came to was unlocked and after the standard prep of one aiming high, the other low, he flung open the door. They encountered a room decorated like something out of a sadist's dream in black and red and leather and chains. The chains were attached to the walls and the ceiling with leather straps and whips hung from convenient hooks close to the action.  
  
"This was not listed in their business plan," Elliot said to Olivia after they made sure no one was hiding in the armoire.  
  
"I wonder if they're all like this?"   
  
"I wonder how many they have?"  
  
With that they started back down the hallway to the next room. They repeated the exercise another four times with no success. By this time they were feeling more than a little discouraged, but knew they couldn't give up yet. The last door was on the left, just before the emergency exit door. Olivia took up position between the doors to prevent any escape by Ermler.   
  
Elliot felt the doorknob and found it locked. He whispered, "I'll kick it in and you go for the drop." She nodded her assent.  
  
On the silent count of three, Elliot rammed his booted foot into the space next to the doorknob. The force jarred the door, but it didn't break. He repeated the action three more times before the door finally flew open.  
  
"Freeze!" he shouted. "Police!" Olivia followed him into the room keeping her gun trained in front of her. She swept high and low looking for Ermler.  
  
Elliot saw Mudri chained to the wall. Her face was a mess of cuts and bruises and both her eyes were swollen shut. The rest of her wasn't much better off. What little of her that wasn't exposed was covered by leather straps that kept her legs pried apart and her arms held out at her side. She looked like a grotesque version of the DaVinci drawing 'Vitruvian Man'.  
  
Olivia was temporarily distracted by Elliot's sudden stop when he saw Mudri. That distraction cost her her balance as she was shoved from the right into the door as someone ran past her towards the emergency exit.  
  
"Elliot!" she yelled, "He's getting away!" Olivia quickly righted herself and dashed after the fleeing figure.  
  
Elliot got on the walkie-talkie barking orders. "Someone come up here to take care of Ms. Barichev and call a bus, she's going to need major help! Fin! Munch! Ermler went out the emergency exit. Olivia went after him. Get some people at the top and the bottom to block any escape!"  
  
Voices flew over the radio agreeing and answering. To an outsider the resulting actions would have looked chaotic, but to the trained officers and detectives, it was all just part of the job.  
  
Elliot stood just outside the door and listened for which direction Ermler and Olivia had gone. Hearing footsteps below, he quickly followed. What he found at the bottom surprised him. Olivia was on the ground and her own gun was being trained on her. She didn't look happy, but at least she wasn't hurt. The look on her face was pure anger and disgust. What surprised him was who was holding the gun.  
  
"Liv, you okay?" he asked, never taking his eyes off Dede Rayner.  
  
"Yeah," she said, angrily wiping the blood off her lip. "I tripped when she shoved me backward."  
  
"Dede," Elliot said slowly coming down the stairs. "You don't want to do this. Put the gun down."  
  
"Yeah, right!" she shouted. "Like I'm going to get a fair shake after this. If I'm going down, so is she!" She used the gun to punctuate her words.  
  
"Dede, just put down the gun and we can talk about this. I'm sure we can work something out," he coached.  
  
"Nothin' doin'," she replied. "I'm going to back out of here and you're going to let me go. Otherwise your partner's going to get a bullet between her eyes."  
  
Olivia's eyes had never wavered from Dede's face the entire time. She decided now was the time to ask the question running around in her head, "Why Dede? Why these women? Why hurt them?"  
  
Dede's attention was diverted from Elliot to Olivia. "Why?! Because they're the ones responsible for taking Jonathan away from me! If not for these Russian BITCHES, Jon and I would be happily married with kids and a home. Instead, I'm helping find THEM rich, successful husbands that won't even look twice in my direction. The better question, Detective," she spat, "would be why not!"  
  
A movement caught her attention and she looked up to see Elliot creeping down the stairs quietly. "Stop! I'll shoot her, don't you doubt it."  
  
"I'm stopping," he said, placating her. "No need to shoot."  
  
"Throw your gun down here," she demanded.  
  
"Sorry, I can't do that."  
  
"Not even for your beautiful partner here?"  
  
"Department rules. Never give up your gun. But I will put it back in the holster." He followed his words with the appropriate action. "I'll keep my hands were you can see them."  
  
"Where are the rest of the cops?" she asked, hearing noises coming from the hallway in front of them.  
  
"Probably coming in here."  
  
"Tell them to stop or I'll shot Detective Benson here!"  
  
Elliot slowly pulled the walkie talkie out of it's holster at his waist. "This is Detective Stabler, stand down. I repeat stand down."  
  
Fin's voice came back, "What's doing?"  
  
"We've got a situation back here. So back off and stand down."  
  
"Copy that."  
  
"See, no more worries. It's just you, me and Detective Benson. Let's see if we can work this out," he said in a quiet voice. "I don't want any of us to be taken out of here in a body bag."  
  
Olivia had slowly worked her way up from the crunch position on the floor to actually sitting up. It also brought her a little closer to Dede and the gun.  
  
"Dede," she said calmly, "I can see why you'd be angry with these women for taking what you didn't have, but why the torture first? Why not just kill them?"  
  
"Because they deserved to feel the pain I felt. They needed to know what it felt like to be ripped apart from the inside out. To have the heart of who they are dessimated and destroyed!"  
  
"How does Pasek fit in?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Pasek?! That fool!" Dede cackled. "He's nothing more than dog panting after a bitch in heat. He didn't want me, any woman would do." Her voice cracked. "If he'd only …"  
  
"If he'd only what?"  
  
"Nothing. Nevermind!" Dede turned her head towards Elliot. "Detective Stabler, I want you to back up two steps. Right now!" Elliot complied, but went no further.  
  
A small noise from behind Dede startled them all. It was all the distraction Elliot needed. He quickly drew his gun and pulled the trigger hitting Dede in the side. Olivia's gun dropped at her feet as she swung into a kneeling position grabbing the gun on the way. Dede pulled a knife from the back of her pants and drew back to throw it at Olivia. Olivia's gun went off, hitting Dede's left thigh suddenly dropping her to the ground. The knife dropped harmlessly behind her.  
  
In the sudden quiet following the two deafening gun shots, the sound of pained panting echoed throughout the hallway. Olivia crawled over to Dede to staunch the flow of blood as Elliot called for the paramedics to come on back. Elliot finished coming down the stairs and saw a second person on the floor.  
  
"Liv!" he shouted, jumping over Dede's prone figure at the bottom of the stairs. "Oh my God! It's Heather Hatagov!" He ran over, peeling off his jacket to cover her until medical help arrived. "Heather?" he asked. "Heather? Wake up."  
  
"Elliot, how is she?" Olivia asked, still keeping pressure on Dede's leg wound with one hand while handcuffing her to the stair support with the other.  
  
"I don't know, she's not responding. But she's breathing." He grabbed the walkie-talkie and yelled, "We need another medical team back here! We have a civilian injured. Two gun shot wounds, one to the chest and one to the abdomen!"  
  
The clatter of gurney wheels coming down the hallway stopped his shouting so he turned back to Heather. "Heather, open your eyes. Come on, you can do it."  
  
The medics arrived and determined that Heather was worse off and started to treat her first. This didn't sit well with Dede. "Hey! I'm bleeding all over the floor here! I demand some attention!"  
  
Olivia smirked and said, "I don't think that'll be a problem, Dede. You'll have all the attention you could ever want. We've got over forty cops out there vying to give you *attention*. There's a DA waiting to get her hands on you. And that's not even mentioning the family and friends of the women you raped and killed. I think you'll get all the ATTENTION you could ever want."  
  
Olivia was relieved shortly afterward by the arrival of a second paramedic team. "We'll take over here," the leader said virtually shoving Olivia out of the way.  
  
Cragen arrived on the scene right behind the second paramedic team. "You guys know the drill," he said holding out his hands for their guns. They handed them over understanding the need for it. "Munch and Fin are locking down the area. You two need to give your statements. Elliot, go with Jones here. Olivia, you're with Garcia."   
  
"I think I need to wash up first," Elliot said. "My hands are covered in blood."   
  
Olivia looked down and replied, "Mine too. Washroom's right behind you." She indicated the door that Heather had probably come out of just before the shooting started.  
  
"I'll use the kitchen sink instead," he said looking sadly at the prone body of Heather Hatagov. The frantic actions of the medics didn't bode well, but still he hoped.  
  
Olivia waited for Elliot to finish and walk off with Jones before going in to wash the blood off her hands. She turned to Garcia and said, "Ready."   
  
He sat down at the steel counter and pulled out his notebook. "Ok, Detective."  
  
Olivia described the order of events up to their entrance into the room occupied by Mudri and Dede. "After Detective Stabler finally got the door open and went through, I stood in the doorway to block any escape attempt."  
  
"How'd she get by you?" Garcia asked.  
  
"I swept the room left to right and didn't see her, only Mudri against the wall. I was in the process of turning to check the corner nearest the door when she shoved me and fled out the fire exit. I immediately gave chase down the stairs. I lost sight of her in the shadows at the bottom of the steps and slowed down some to let my eyes adjust. That's when she swung at me with something hard … I think it was a serving tray … and I went down. That's when I lost the gun."  
  
"Go on," Garcia said.  
  
"In that moment, she grabbed the gun before I'd even finished my roll back to a sitting position. That's when I heard Stabler come down the stairs. She had my gun aimed at me and she told him to stop."  
  
"When did you realize it was Dede Rayner you were chasing and not Pasek Ermler?"  
  
"When she told Stabler to stop. Up until then I hadn't actually seen the face of who I was chasing."  
  
Garcia continued to listen to Olivia's recitation of events. When he asked about Heather Hatagov Olivia replied, "I didn't see her standing back there in the shadows. I heard a noise that I thought was just a box shifting on the shelves or perhaps a rat scurrying on the floor. It must have been her shoe scuffing the ground or perhaps her jacket rubbing against the door frame. Dede turned, Stabler fired. Dede dropped my gun when Stabler's bullet hit her. I grabbed it and aimed it at her hoping not to need it. She grabbed a knife from the back of her pants and drew back to throw it at me. I shot her in the leg to drop her without killing her. The knife fell behind her."  
  
Olivia paused to collect her thoughts. "I kicked the knife away, called for the medics and proceeded to put pressure on her leg wound because it was bleeding profusely. Stabler jumped over us stating that we had another victim. That's when I found out that Heather was back there."  
  
"How long was it before help arrived?"  
  
"Only about a minute or two after we called 'all clear.' The medics did a quick triage and took care of Heather first since her wounds appeared more serious. I handcuffed Dede to the stair support so I could concentrate on stopping the bleeding instead of holding her down AND staunch the blood. Once the second team of paramedics arrived, I stepped back and allowed them to do their thing. That's when Cragen arrived and had the area locked down."  
  
"Ok, Detective Benson. I'll give my notes to Captain Cragen on our way out."  
  
Garcia went back into the hall to give Cragen his notes before leading Olivia out of the building. Cragen watched from the hallway as Olivia walked away followed by two uniformed officers. He heard over the radio that CSU had finally arrived. He would be glad to turn over Elliot and Olivia's weapons to them. He wanted to get back to the station just in case his people needed him during the IAB interviews. 


	14. Chapter 14

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (14/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 14  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
An hour later, Elliot met with Lieutenant Ed Tucker and Sergeant Elroy Stewart from IAB in the interview room to go over the events of the day. Olivia was ensconced with Sergeant David Siler and Sergeant Richard Andrews. Cragen watched from his office window ready to intervene if necessary.  
  
"Before we start," Olivia said, "can you tell me how Heather's doing?"  
  
"She died shortly after arriving at the hospital. Her lung collapsed and she bled out internally because the bullet nicked the pulminary artery," Siler said regretfully.  
  
In the other room Elliot had received the same bad news. "Were they able to save the baby? She was about 7 months pregnant and the baby would be able to survive with a little intensive care," Elliot asked.  
  
"Baby died in utero," Tucker said matter-of-factly. "Bullet to the abdomen pierced the amniotic sac and passed through the child's chest killing him instantly."  
  
"Oh my God!" Elliot said with feeling.   
  
"So, want to tell me how a civilian was not only was wounded, but killed while the perp will be up and walking in a few weeks?" he sneered.  
  
"It all happened so fast," Elliot started.  
  
"That's not an excuse, Detective. You're trained to be more watchful and NOT to kill innocent people."  
  
For the next hour Elliot and Olivia were interrogated as if they were the perpetrators, not cops. Cragen had to step in once to keep Elliot from punching Tucker. By the time they were done, no one in either room was very calm or collected, but at least the statements were over.  
  
"I appreciate your time, Detectives," Tucker said, as if it had been a tea party not a grilling session. "It's an interesting story you tell. I'll let you know what IAB says after they review my report. Until then, you're confined to your desks."  
  
"Call me as soon as you've cleared them," Cragen said.  
  
"If I do," retorted Tucker.   
  
They watched the IAB cops leave, reports in hand. Cragen looked at two of his best detectives. "You both look like hell. Go home. Get some sleep. Take tomorrow to see the shrink and relax. I'll see you here bright and early Friday morning."  
  
Both Elliot and Olivia got up wearily from the chairs they were sitting in and staggered out into the bullpen. "Night," Olivia said to Fin, who'd been waiting to see how things panned out. "I'll talk to you later." He nodded in understanding. Elliot followed Olivia out the door without saying a word to anyone, but the tension and anger could be felt all the way across the room. Fin shook his head wondering if his friends would recover from this mess.  
  
"Cap," he asked, "got a minute?"  
  
"Sure," Cragen responded. "What's up?"  
  
"They okay?"  
  
"Don't know yet. Tucker's out for their blood as usual. I thought Elliot was going to swing at him at one point." Cragen stared off into the now empty hallway remembering the tension interview. "It doesn't help that Hatagov is a political animal in the city. There's going to be a lot of heat around those two for some time to come."  
  
"Yeah," Fin agreed. "Night."  
  
"Good night, Fin. See you in the morning." Cragen turned away and then turned back, "You did good today."  
  
"Thanks, Cap."  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
MAY 27  
  
The last week had been hell for both Elliot and Olivia. They'd been confined to their desks, answering phones and doing paperwork. The inactivity was beginning to wear on them. Elliot had even considered taking some personal time to avoid the monotony, but didn't want to leave Olivia to this all alone. That would be a far worse thing to do to his partner than moping around the office.  
  
"Stabler, Benson, my office," Cragen called into the bullpen.   
  
"What's up, Captain?" she asked when she sat down next to Elliot.  
  
"IAB cleared you guys of any wrongdoing in the death of Heather Hatagov," he said.  
  
"So why the long face?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Because word has it that Hatagov's not happy with that decision. He's going to push for some kind of payback."  
  
"Legally or otherwise?"  
  
"Don't know at this point, but I wanted you to be aware of the situation."  
  
"Thanks. Anything else?"  
  
"No, just get back to work. I know that Munch and Fin will be happy to have you helping out in the streets."  
  
They were already scheduled for a day off the next day, so they took it with glee that they'd be able to get back to their real work on Saturday.  
  
"You bringing the family to the precinct Memorial Day picnic?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Yeah. It's always fun to get out with the other families," he answered.  
  
"Not to mention a chance to throw the ball around, drink beer and eat burnt burgers," she laughed.  
  
"Hey! Watch out or I'll recruit you into the game and make you be on the Skins side," he grinned back in response.  
  
"Dream on, Stabler," she laughed. "I might just take you up on it and then whup your ass because you and the other *boys* will be so distracted by my natural attributes."  
  
Elliot nearly swallowed his tongue in addition to his coffee at the image his partner's words put into his head. She had to pound him on the back to clear the airway.   
  
"See, you don't want me to play. Bad image for the boys to lose to a measly girl," she intoned seriously and then ruined the pose by giggling.  
  
"You're going to be the death of me, Liv," he said smiling at her antics. "Coffee down the wrong pipe can kill a guy."  
  
"Sorry," she said in a voice that was anything but.  
  
STABLER RESIDENCE  
  
QUEENS  
  
MAY 31  
  
The morning of Memorial dawned bright and clear. The promise of sun and heat could be felt as the sun edged over the horizon. Elliot sat in the living room watching the sun come up. Kathy came down the stairs and asked, "How long you been up?"  
  
"Awhile," he replied.  
  
"Something you want to talk about?"   
  
"Not really. Just needed to do some thinking."  
  
"Okay. You want some coffee?" she asked moving into the kitchen.  
  
"Yeah, that would be great. What time you want to head out to the park?"  
  
"I figured around 11. That way we still get a good spot on the grass and avoid some of the traffic without committing to be there for ten hours."  
  
Kathy brought Elliot his coffee and snuggled into his embrace as they sipped and watched the neighborhood wake around them.  
  
CENTRAL PARK  
  
NEAR WEST DRIVE AND 65TH STREET  
  
11:30 AM  
  
The park was hopping with activity by the time the Stabler family arrived. They managed to snag a place on the grass near the touch football game, but far enough away to keep athletes and balls from being part of their picnic area.  
  
"Dickie, you want to play?" Elliot asked, shirking his shirt before running out to join the game. Dickie ran after him tossing his shirt into Lizzie's face on the way.   
  
Lizze swatted it away with an "Ew, gross!" comment before taking off to play frisbee with some of the other kids. Kathleen and Maureen followed in Lizzie's wake to see what else was happening, and to avoid helping their mother set up the picnic area.  
  
Olivia walked over as Kathy finished laying out the blankets and pulling the cooler close to her lawn chair. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hi, Livia. Enjoying your day off?" Kathy asked.  
  
"Yeah, it's not often we get a chance to play like this." Olivia looked at her fellow cops doing a variety of things. Elliot and Fin were on the football field being trailed by Dickie as cops from the Robbery/Homicide division tried to keep the ball from falling into their hands. Munch was flirting with a beautiful woman over beer near the grills. Cragen was happily discussing God knows what with other members of the precinct.  
  
"You're more than welcome to join us," Kathy offered.  
  
"Thanks. I appreciate it."  
  
The day went by quickly. Gallons of beer and soft drinks were inhaled, a whole side of beef and barrels of hot dogs were consumed throughout the day. By the time the families called it a day just before sunset, children needed to be carried off the field, too weary to walk. Some couples lingered to enjoy the cooling air in the creeping dusk, others whisked off to catch a few extra winks before getting back to work in the morning.  
  
The Stablers walked with Olivia towards their cars. "Thanks for joining us, Liv," Elliot said.  
  
"Thanks for having me. It was a good day," she replied. "Kathy, good to see you as always. Kids, see you later." Olivia walked off in the direction of her car waving to the family and wishing that she didn't always have to go home alone.  
  
"Oh well," she thought. "Maybe one day I won't have to." 


	15. Chapter 15

Title: Till Death Do Us Part (15/15)  
  
Author: KatRose  
  
Disclaimer: Simply put, Dick Wolf's, not mine.  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Spoilers: None that I can think of  
  
Author's Notes: The dates for this story are all 2004. I also have to thank kukrae for all her help, wisdom, cheerleading and browbeating me into getting this story written.  
  
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++  
  
CHAPTER 15  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
JUNE 3 – 3 PM  
  
"Elliot?" Olivia asked.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Do you have anything more on the Henderson molestation case? I can't find part of the file."  
  
"What part's missing?"  
  
"The interview."  
  
"Hmm, lemme look. I don't think I have it, but …" he gestured to the piles of paperwork on his desk.  
  
"Yeah, that's why I'm asking," she smirked.  
  
A few minutes later Elliot emerged triumphant. "Aha! Got it."  
  
"Thanks," she said with a laugh. "One of these days you're going to get literally buried under the papers on your desk."  
  
"Maybe I'll bring the kids in to help sort it out," he replied.  
  
"Didn't you know child labor's a crime, Elliot?" she asked.  
  
"Only if you don't keep your mouth shut, Liv."  
  
She laughed and put the interview into the appropriate file. They worked companionably on a number of open cases for the next several hours.   
  
The phone rang and Olivia answer. She listened for a moment and said, "Yeah, we'll be right there." She hung up the phone and looked at her partner.  
  
"What's up?" Elliot asked.  
  
"Missing kid last seen in the area where that pedophile was hanging out."  
  
"Let's go."  
  
MILLSTONE RESIDENCE  
  
12543 LEXON AVENUE  
  
JUNE 3 – 4 PM  
  
"Mrs. Millstone?" Elliot asked when the door opened. "I'm Detective Stabler and this is my partner Detective Benson. May we come in?"  
  
"Please," she answered, holding a tissue to her nose. "I'm sorry I look a mess."  
  
"There's nothing to be sorry about, you're worried about your son." Elliot sat with Olivia on his right. "What can you tell us about the last time you saw your son?"  
  
"He was playing with the kids next door on the front stoop. I came back inside to get some iced tea and when I came out the kids were all gone. I assumed they went inside because it was getting awfully hot out. I called over there about about an hour ago to send Stephen home. Mrs. Wilson said he wasn't there. That's when I called you guys because I remembered the reports of the pedophile in the area and I got scared." Mrs. Millstone dabbed her eyes and sniffled at the last comment.  
  
"How old is he and what was he wearing?" Olivia asked.  
  
"He's nine. He was wearing a pair of dark blue shorts and a white t-shirt with a ketchup stain on the front. I kept trying to get him to change into a clean shirt, but he said he'd only get it dirty too so why bother." She gave a small smile. "He's like that, logical enough to make his stubbornness seem less annoying."  
  
"Have you tried calling his friends and other neighbors?"  
  
"I called everyone I know but no one's seen him. I didn't know what else to do."  
  
"It's alright, we'll get this information out. Do you have a recent picture of him? We might be able to enlist the media in locating him."  
  
"Sure," Mrs. Millstone said, standing up to get a photo off the fireplace mantle. "This was taken only a month ago." She took the photography out of the frame and handed it to Olivia. "Please find my son, he's my life."  
  
"We understand. We'll keep you informed."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Back in the car Elliot asked, "What do you think?"  
  
"He's the right age, build and coloring. Let's get back to the precinct and get this picture out to everyone. We don't want this perp to get away again."  
  
MORNINGSIDE PARK  
  
JUNE 3 – 7:30 PM  
  
Hours had passed since they had left Mrs. Millstone's home. They'd had every available cop looking for Stephen. They finally caught a break from one of the local news stations. Their news van happened upon a young boy that fit Stephen's description.   
  
"There they are," Olivia said, pointing towards the park. "Pull in over there."  
  
"Got it," Elliot replied. "I hope the boy's okay."  
  
"Me too."  
  
They walked over to the news crew, flashing their badges once they arrived.   
  
"Where's the boy?" Elliot asked.  
  
"In the van," the cameraman replied.  
  
Elliot walked to the open door and peered in. "Hi," he said to the young boy sitting inside.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"I'm Elliot. Can I ask who you are?"  
  
"I'm Stephen."  
  
"Hi, Stephen," Olivia said leaning against the doorframe to block the child from the camera's eye. "Your mom's awfully worried about you."  
  
"Is she mad at me?"  
  
"Why would she be mad?"  
  
"Because I left without telling her where I was going," he replied with his head tucked to his chest.  
  
"Did you go with someone else?" Olivia asked.  
  
"No, I just left. I was mad because my friends had to go inside and they wouldn't let me go with them." A tear started down his face and he angrily brushed it away.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"I didn't mean to get lost," he stated emphatically. "I just meant to go around the block, but a big truck was in the way and I had to go around it. Then a taxi cut around the corner too fast and I had to run the other way to avoid getting hit. Before I knew it I couldn't find my way home." By now the tears were falling fast and furiously.   
  
Elliot stepped away from the van to call the precinct to let them know the boy was safe and sound and they could call off the search. He then called Mrs. Millstone.   
  
Olivia sat with Stephen while Elliot made the calls. "We should probably get you home, kiddo," she said.  
  
"Is she very mad?" he asked Elliot.  
  
"She's relieved that you're safe," he answered. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she kept a closer eye on you for a while."  
  
"Yeah, I'll probably be grounded for the summer," he sighed.  
  
"Let's get you home."  
  
The cameraman tried valiantly to get the boy and the detectives on tape before they left, but Elliot was insistent. "Don't you dare take footage of this child. He's been through enough already."  
  
Reluctantly, the cameraman stepped out of the way and allowed them to pass.  
  
In a relatively short time, they had arrived back at Mrs. Millstone's house. They hadn't even stopped the car before she was trying to open the back door to get her son out. Between the "I'm so glad you're okay" and the "You're soooo grounded" they finally managed to get mother and son inside.  
  
"I'm so sorry that he put you all through so much trouble," Mrs. Millstone said. "I thought he knew better than to just run off like that." The look she shot Stephen spelled out trouble and he reacted by curling into himself on the couch.  
  
"I'm sure it's not something he'll repeat any time in the foreseeable future," Olivia said softly. "He was pretty scared when the news crew found him."  
  
"I know, but he scared the wits out of me and had a lot of police out looking for him. I'm sure they could have been used elsewhere, instead of out looking for disobedient boys," she stressed the last part by looking at her son. The words and tone were soothed some by the soft stroke of her hand through his hair, but she wasn't going to relent anytime soon on his impending punishment.  
  
"Thank you again, Detectives. I'm sorry for all the trouble, but I'm glad he wasn't taken by that man."  
  
"We are too," Elliot said. He turned to the boy and said, "Stephen, mind your mother and take it easy."  
  
"Thank you, Elliot," Stephen responded. "I'm so sorry." Tears threatened to burst from his eyes and he buried his face in his mother's shirt. Elliot ruffled the boy's hair before walking with Olivia to the front door. "Take care, both of you."  
  
"We will," Mrs. Millstone said.  
  
Elliot's phone rang as they reached the front steps.  
  
"Stabler."  
  
"Elliot, it's Cragen. There's been an accident at Kathy's clinic." Cragen was using the controlled cop voice that never spelled good news for those he was talking to.  
  
"What happened?" he nearly shouted.   
  
"We're not exactly sure. Could have been a gas leak."  
  
"We're on our way. Should be about a half hour."  
  
"I'll meet you there."  
  
Elliot disconnected the call with as much force as possible with something that small. "We're going to Kathy's clinic."  
  
"What happened?"  
  
Elliot didn't say a word as he slammed the car into gear and tore off down the street. Olivia struggled to get buckled in for the wild ride. He repeatedly tried Kathy's cell phone to no avail. She wisely didn't ask anythind during the ride, she merely rolled down the window and stuck the bubble light on the top of the car to help their hurried trip across town.  
  
QUEENS  
  
JUNE 3 - 8:30 PM  
  
They arrived on the scene to find two fire trucks, the bomb squad and assorted police cars. They flashed their badges as they flew under the yellow tape marking off the secured area.  
  
"Elliot!" Cragen's voice boomed from the left. "Over here."  
  
Elliot scrambled through the cars and trucks to Cragen's side. "What happened?" he demanded.  
  
"Bomb squad's still investigating. Could be a gas leak or anti-abortion rights activity."  
  
"Do we know for certain Kathy was in there?" Elliot asked.  
  
"We found a body in the back. The badge was melted, but readable. It was Kathy." Cragen put his hand on Elliot's arm in comfort.  
  
Elliot shrugged it off violently. "This is all my fault."   
  
"How so?"  
  
"You said that Hatagov wanted revenge for Heather's death. Here's his revenge," he responded throwing his hand out to encompass the burning mess of the storefront clinic. "I killed his wife, he killed mine."  
  
"You don't know that, Elliot."  
  
"The hell I don't! Kathy's never had any threats against the clinic from anti-abortion protesters. She's never had more than cursory trouble with any of her patients. They all needed and wanted this clinic here, none of them would have done this!" He started past the fire truck and into the still smoldering building.  
  
"Elliot," Olivia said, taking his arm. "You need to take a deep breath and allow these people to do their jobs."  
  
"My wife's in there!" he shouted.  
  
"I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. But getting in their way won't change the outcome."  
  
"Liv, she's dead."  
  
"I know." She grasped his hand and just held on while they watched the frantic activity around them. They watched the firefighters put out the smoldering mess where the back of the building used to be. They watched wisps of smoke and steam rise up into the air. They watched as the coroner's office arrived waiting for their turn in the wreckage. They watched as men and women went about their jobs of protecting the city, all the while Elliot thought that he'd failed in his duty as a police officer and a husband.  
  
Hours later Elliot heard, "Elliot?" It was Olivia. He ignored her. "Elliot?" Olivia said again. "You need to come with me."  
  
"No."  
  
"Elliot. It's not good for you to sit here watching this. Come on. Let me get you home. You need to be with your kids."  
  
"My kids," he said expressionlessly. "How am I going to tell them I killed their mother?"  
  
"Elliot, you didn't kill her. THEY did," she said.  
  
"If you say so. But if I hadn't gone after them, they wouldn't have gone after her. She'd still be alive. So that's my fault."  
  
Olivia prodded Elliot into an upright position and guided him to the sedan. He was lucid, but non-reactive.   
  
STABLER RESIDENCE  
  
QUEENS  
  
JUNE 11  
  
The days after Kathy's funeral flew by quickly. Elliot managed to stay sane in the time he took off, knowing that his kids needed him. But he chafed to get back on the job and to try and track down Hatagov or anything that would tie him to Kathy's murder. For that was what Elliot knew it to be. Cold-blooded murder. An eye for an eye.  
  
Every time he thought about it he got madder. No one knew that Heather was back there. No one had heard her, she hadn't said a word or stayed put. Elliot didn't want to think that Heather's actions were the cause of her death, because he knew it was an accident and accidents do happen. But when it came to being rational about the death of his own wife, he wasn't doing so well. He'd prefer to blame Heather than to accept that he was part of the reason why Kathy was dead.  
  
The phone rang interrupting his destructive thoughts. "Stabler."  
  
"Hi, Elliot."  
  
"Hi, Liv. How are things?"  
  
"I was just going to ask you the same thing."  
  
"We're going okay. The kids are getting back to their regular activities. It's going to take some time, but I think they're doing well."  
  
"When are you coming back? Munch and Fin are driving me crazy. It's like having two older brothers that won't let me play in the clubhouse."  
  
Elliot smiled at that thought, knowing that if Olivia had had older brothers, nothing would have stopped her from getting into the clubhouse if she really wanted to be there. "I should be back on Monday."  
  
"Good. I miss you."  
  
"You miss my fries," he teased.  
  
"Well, yeah. Wanna make a case about it?"  
  
"Nah, I'll let it slide." It felt good to joke around again. Olivia always made him feel like he could do anything. "Thanks, Liv."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"Just because. You've been a true friend through all of this."  
  
"You'd do the same for me."  
  
"You better believe it!"  
  
"I'll see you Monday."  
  
"Have a good weekend."  
  
He hung up the phone slowly. If not for his partner, he didn't think he and the kids would have gotten as far in such a short period of time. He was lucky to have her around.  
  
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT  
  
SQUAD ROOM  
  
JUNE 14  
  
Elliot arrived back at the office itching to get back to work. He grabbed a cup of coffee before hitting the desk.   
  
Olivia arrived a little while later. "Hi," she said.  
  
"Hi."  
  
"We've got a couple of cases to review today."  
  
"Anything interesting?"  
  
"Just the usual. Death, destruction and mayhem."  
  
"Oh and here I was hoping for a beheading or at least a guy dressed like a fairy princess," he drolled.  
  
"I'm not sure I can do anything about the former, but if it's the latter you want, just call Vice, I'm sure they can arrange something for you."  
  
They fell back into the old patterns of teasing banter and quietness. Throughout the week they went out on calls and spent time at their desks working on paperwork and doing research. Fin and Munch continued to dig into White Nights business hoping to catch a break that would help get Hatagov off the street. So far nothing was moving in that direction.  
  
The quiet of the office was broken when Cragen came out of his office looking like someone had shot his dog.  
  
"Cap?" Fin asked.  
  
"We're being officially reprimanded for interferring in an ongoing homicide investigation," he intoned.  
  
"What?" Elliot asked. "Why?"  
  
"Because someone found out Fin and Munch were working under the wire on Hatagov's business and told the brass. I just got my ass chewed off for allowing it."  
  
"Captain, you should have told them you didn't know anything about it," Munch replied.  
  
"No, I couldn't. I wasn't going to let you guys take the fall for something I allowed."  
  
"So, what does that mean?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I'm being suspended for the next two weeks and the rest of you are to stay away from Hatagov, his businesses and his employees. Period. They'll send someone in to take over in my absence."  
  
"I'm sorry, Cap," Fin said.  
  
"Don't be. I don't regret having you guys look into this. I just regret that we didn't find anything before they stopped us."  
  
"You going to be okay?" Olivia asked.  
  
"I'll be fine. I have that pool of mine to enjoy and some gardening to work on. This will give me the opportunity to do it."  
  
Elliot leaned against his desk in a state of shock. These people had risked their jobs, their careers for him. He didn't know how to respond. "Cap'n?"  
  
"Yeah, Elliot."  
  
"Thanks." It wasn't much, but it was everything.  
  
"You're welcome. I'll see you in two weeks. You guys do your jobs and stay out of trouble. I don't want to come back to find that any one else has been booted out, even if this is only temporary."  
  
"You got it."   
  
"See ya."   
  
"Take care."  
  
They watched as Cragen walked out the door, knowing their stalwart support was going with him. No matter who came in for the next two weeks, things wouldn't be fine until Cragen came back.  
  
They all turned back to their work and tried to get their minds off the myriad troubles abounding their lives, both professionally and personally. One way or another they'd get through this and find a little contentment on the other side. They couldn't stay in the doldrums too long, it just wasn't in their nature. Paperwork was pulled out and phones were answered. The detectives got back to work protecting the city and their loved ones.  
  
THE END 


End file.
